Echo Again
by Madly Chessur
Summary: How does one steal the heart of someone so clueless? Who's to say it's not already stolen, though. Yamamoto/OC
1. Interestingly Enough

LOL So, like, obvious I don't own nothing :'D Well, except my OCs, I suppose XD Uhm… Yea, these are gonna suck T: Why? Cuz nothing rlly interesting happens at the start of KHR XD I think the most interesting and like, actual plot of KHR is the TYL!Arc XD Though, Mukuro's and the Rings are interesting, too x3 Specially since Prinsu Za Rippa appears~ *heart* But his TYL! counterpart is more pro-er x3 LOL ENJOY?

Tek-Tek doesn't own KHR or any of its chars! XD She does own her Mary-Sues (more to appear as the story goes on) :'D

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><p><strong>Ball 0 (Prologue):<br>****Interestingly Enough**

_Life before everything changed was a blur. All that was ever done was get up, go to school, come home, and sleep. The same routine every single day. It was a bore. Life to Sawada Tsena was a bore. Sure, she had kendo, she had her best friend, her "brother", and so on and so forth, but still, why couldn't anything exciting ever happen?_

"Oi, Tsena! Time to wake up!"

"Nnngh... Go away..."

"Tsena~ We're gonna be laaate~"

"Lemme sleep..." He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. He grinned, reaching forward and yanking the blankets off of her. Tsena whined, rolling over so her back was to him. "Go away, Yama-kun. It's too early to be up."

"Ahaha, it's a school day and you have kendo practice," Yamamoto countered, grinning as he leaned over her, peering down at her face. Tsena groaned as she sat up, looking up at him. How could he be so cheerful in the morning? She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched, arching her back as she yawned one last time.

"Fine, fine, I'm up, I'm up..."

"Finally! Hurry up and get ready!" The raven-head stood up and headed towards the open window, climbing out. "Meet you outside in a few~"

"Yeah, yeah..." Tsena grumbled, waving him off. Yamamoto laughed one more time before leaving. The girl looked around, blinking her eyes and letting them adjust to the... dark? Her eyes widened as she turned to her alarm clock. With a growl, Tsena picked it up and went to her window, leaning out it and pointing at time. "Dammit, Yamamoto! It's only five in the morning!"

"Ahaha, is it? Sorry!"

"I'm gonna kill you...!"

_Every day, Tsena woke up to her best friend, Yamamoto Takeshi. He would come at any random time in the morning and get her up, before waiting for her outside her house. Why did he enter her house through her window? She did not know._

"Ah, morning practice, morning practice!" Yamamoto chanted, jogging to school. He had spiky black hair and hazel-golden eyes, carrying a baseball bat over his shoulder with a catching glove hanging from it. He wore a white collared shirt, a black sweatband around his right wrist, and blue pants, smile never leaving his tanned face.

"Wooh..." Tsena mumbled less enthusiastically, trailing behind him. She had short pale turquoise hair and pale green eyes. Despite it being spring, she wore her school's winter uniform: a white long-sleeve shirt tucked into a blue skirt, and black socks reaching up under her skirt. Around her neck was a large stripped scarf of various shades of green and white, close enough to almost cover her mouth, and thin white gloves covering her hands. Yamamoto just laughed at her, slowing his jogging so he was behind her, before pushing the girl to go faster. "Yama-kuuuun~" She whined, eyes closed as she frowned.

"Ahaha, we gotta hurry to morning practice!"

"I _am_ hurrying..." Still, though, Tsena waved the raven-head away and started jogging on her own, Yamamoto keeping pace with her.

_Like any best friend, Yamamoto was a lot of fun to be around. He was a bit on the slow side, but had a lot of heart. There were times Tsena swore she would have died without him. And other times..._

When they finally reached their school, though, Tsena remembered something that made her stop in her tracks.

"Huh? Tsena?" Yamamoto looked at the girl, tilting his head. Tsena sent him a wicked glare.

"Wait a sec, I don't _have _kendo practice this morning.."

"... Ahaha, really?" The raven-head laughed as Tsena growled at him.

"Yamamoto~!"

_She wanted to ring his neck._

Tsena suddenly slumped forward, exhausted for some reason. Maybe it was because he just drained her of energy? Damn baseball freak.

"Hey, now you can watch me practice!" Yamamoto smiled innocently as he closed his eyes, and Tsena could have sworn that, if he were a dog, his tail would be wagging. She eyed him suspiciously.

"... You planned this, didn't you?"

Maybe Tsena gave him too little credit?

"Huh? Planned what?"

... Or maybe not.

_Still, though, Yamamoto has been Tsena's friend for quite a long time. She and he were almost inseparable._

Tsena sighed softly, rubbing her temples as she gave Yamamoto a small smile, "Alright, to baseball practice." She raised her fist in the air half-heartedly. Yamamoto grinned widely, punching the air.

"To baseball practice!" With that, he grabbed Tsena's hand and quickly led the way, large grin never leaving his face. Tsena blushed at the contact but didn't complain as she wrapped her small fingers around his larger ones and hurried to his side.

_As much fun as Yamamoto was, even he wasn't always able to keep Tsena entertained. Wasn't there _something _interesting to do?_

Tsena thought she was losing it. She could've sworn she saw her "brother", Tsuna, flying through the air in nothing but his blue boxers, but she knew better. No way was "Dame-Tsuna"... 'brave', per say, enough to do that. Even though she knew this, Tsena couldn't look away. The turquoise-head kept staring and staring, wondering if she was losing it. And as she stared, "Tsuna" got closer and closer, and she saw that, hey, maybe she wasn't as crazy as she thought.

"Hm? See something, Tsena?" Yamamoto, decked out in his baseball uniform, turned to the girl, blinking.

"Huh?" Tsena looked up at the tall male, before looking back over at her air-borne brother. She yelped and ducked out of the way as her senpai, Mochida, flew right at her. Where the hell did he come from, anyway? Yamamoto dropped his bat and caught her captain with ease, setting him on his feet but still holding on to the dazed senpai.

"Nice catch!" A classmate called.

"As expected from the Baseball Club!" Someone added as Tsena stood up straight, rubbing her short hair and picking up Yamamoto's baseball bat.

"Kyaa! Yamamoto-kun!" One of said boy's fangirls cried, eyeing him dreamily.

"Takeshi!"

"Senpai, you alright?" Tsena asked her fellow kendomate, who was still dazed. She blinked and looked up at Yamamoto. He looked equally confused, setting the senpai down and standing up straight. The two looked at where Mochida had come flying from to see two of their classmates: Tsuna, a boy with spiky brown hair and equally brown eyes (and was glowing oddly), though his back was to the two, and Kyoko, a girl with light brown-orange hair and golden eyes.

"It's that guy from our class..." Yamamoto mumbled, making Tsena laugh.

"Honestly, Yama-kun. You come to my house and don't even know my brother?" She shook her head, giving the baseball nut a look and passing him his bat. Yamamoto laughed, too, swinging it over his shoulder.

"I break in through your window, not the front door~"

"Any _normal _person would go through the front door!"

"If you don't want me coming in through your window, lock it next time!"

"..." Tsena ducked her head into her scarf, choosing not to reply. Yamamoto laughed again, ruffling Tsena's hair. "Oi, oi, none of that!" She swatted his hand away, pouting as she tried hard to fight her blush down. Tsena didn't mind him going through her window, actually, no matter how stalker-ish that sounded.

"Sasagawa Kyoko!" Tsuna cried as Tsena waved to Yamamoto, jogging over to her brother. He pointed at her, a determined look on his face, "Please go out with me!" He flattened his hand, holding it out for her to take.

"Huh?" Kyoko looked at him, before taking in his appearance. She cried out and dashed away, face red as she ducked her head down.

"Ouch," Tsena mumbled, patting his back, "rejected."

"Bastard!" A fist came almost out of nowhere and connected with Tsuna's face, knocking the boy flat on his back. "Don't kid yourself, creep!" Mochida growled, glaring at Tsuna before stalking away, but not before giving Tsena a look as well. "Keep your damn brother under control, Sawada!"

Tsena glared at him, sticking her leg out and letting him trip ungracefully over it, before quickly going to Tsuna's side and helping the poor boy up. That's when she noticed he finally stopped glowing. Tsuna covered his head, eyes closed as he looked confused.

"What happened to me?"

"You tell me," Tsena mumbled, blinking her eyes.

"That's thanks to the 'Dying Will Bullet'," a voice above the two explained.

"Huh?" Tsena looked over, before her eyes bugged out at what she saw. "What the -?"

"Reborn!" Tsuna called, staring at the baby as if this was nothing special. Tsena was wondering why a baby was parachuting down to them, carrying Tsuna's things. When he landed, she got a good look at him. He had black hair with weird curling sideburns and matching black eyes, wearing a black suit and a black with an orange strip fedora. Tsena watched as the baby's green parachute turned into a green chameleon, it resting on the brim of his hat.

"Whoa..." Was all the girl could say.

"Ciaossu, Sawada Tsena," the baby greeted, looking at her.

"... He knows my name?" Tsena questioned, looking at Tsuna for some sort of explanation.

"I know quite a few things about you," he said, sly smirk on his face. That smirk made the girl uneasy.

"Oh really now..." She mumbled, not liking that smirk one bit.

"I'm Reborn, Sawada Tsunayoshi's at-home tutor."

"I... see..." Tsena didn't really know how to react. Instead, she blinked at the baby, wondering just what in the world she missed that morning.

"This is the 'Dying Will Bullet'." Reborn turned to Tsuna, holding out a red bullet with a flame on it, "A person shot in the head by this will be resurrected with dying will."

"Eh?" Both Tsena and Tsuna said, though, Tsena was more confused as to what he did to Tsuna. Did Reborn shot him?

"The basis of resurrection is if you have any regrets when dying." Tsuna seemed to understand better than Tsena, who had visible question marks floating over her head. "The dying will time is only five minutes."

"Then what if I wasn't regretting anything...?" Tsuna slowly asked.

"Well, I _am _a hitman." Reborn looked to the side slyly, as if it were perfectly normal to shot something.

"I would've _died_?" Tsuna paled, mouth gapped open. Tsena blinked her eyes, looking between the two.

"Uhm, Tsuna... Not for nothing, but what're you gonna do about school?" She asked, eyeing the boy. Tsuna turned to her, before what she said clicked.

"It's too embarassing to come to school anymore!" Tsuna declared, looking at Tsena than Reborn for some sort of advice. "Ahh, and I didn't even feel like confessing!"

"You mean you wanted to, but couldn't," Reborn corrected. Tsena laughed.

"He got you there~"

"Wha - Tsena, I thought you were on my side! And I don't want to hear that from a baby, so shut up!" Tsuna turned to Reborn and stretched his cheeks, annoyed. Reborn, very calmly, threw his fist out, where it collided with Tsuna's cheek rather painfully. Tsena winced.

"Wow... such strength for a baby..."

"But I was fine when that truck hit me..."

"... What?" Tsuna was hit by a _truck_?

_A baby can cause so much to happen? It was simply unheard of! Still, though... Something about him was weird. Soon after, Tsena's idiot of a senpai challenged Tsuna to a kendo match. Everyone expected Tsuna to run - after all, he _was _Dame-Tsuna - but was shocked when, with shaky legs, Tsuna came into view at the gym._

"This is new..." Tsena mumbled, blinking her eyes as she stared at her brother. "I thought he'd run for sure..."

"Ahaha, wonder what changed." Yamamoto crossed his arms, standing beside a crouching Tsena. Tsena watched with mildly interest as Mochida explained his terms. All Tsuna had to do was get one hit in and he'd "win Kyoko". Tsena scoffed, shaking her head.

"Using Kyoko as a prize... Men can be such pigs."

"Hey!" Yamamoto faked a frown, leaning down beside the girl and pulling at her cheeks. "Does that include me?"

"Yama-kun, you are too alienated for your own good..."

"Ahaha, what?"

"Exactly." Tsena waved Yamamoto's hand away and stood up, twisting her shinai between her fingers. "... On second thought, I don't trust myself." She poked Yamamoto in the side with her shinai. "You throw it, Mr. Pro-At-Baseball."

"Let's go, Sawada!" Mochida laughed, holding his shinai at the ready.

"Tsuna!" Said boy turned to where he heard his name, just in time to catch the shinai Yamamoto threw at him. Without giving him time to adjust, Mochida charged. He wacked Tsuna's shinai once, knocking him flat on his back. With a cry, Tsuna decided to do what he did best: run. He ran around for a while, with Mochida following him. Tsena glared at her senpai, finding the idiot annoying. From the corner of her eye, though, she saw something.

"Hm?" Turning to look at it, her eyes bugged out when she saw Reborn with a sniper, aiming it right at Tsuna! She jumped to her feet and turned to Reborn, but it was too late. The baby fired, hitting Tsuna square in the forehead. "What?" Tsena turned to her brother, seeing him on his back yet again. Oh, shi- was he dead? Suddenly, Tsuna was back on his feet, clothes tearing off for some odd reason.

What was Reborn talking about earlier? Was that... Was that the Dying Will Bullet Tsuna was hit with? In a matter of moments, Mochida was on his back and Tsuna on top of him.

"You think I'd only get one point?" Tsuna shouted, literally ripping a handful of Mochida's hair off. "I've got hyaku-pon now!" Everyone was silent, confused as to what was going on... Before laughing out loud.

"Good thinking, Tsuna!"

"He never specified what you needed to get a point off of!"

Tsena couldn't believe it. For once, the crowd was lauging _with_ Tsuna and not _at _him!

Was it something Reborn said that caused Tsuna to fight? Just what in the world was he? And how did he get Tsuna to stand his grounds instead of running away? Tsena, along with the rest of the gym, cheered when the referee finally lifted Tsuna's red flag.

"Tsuna won!"

No one could really believe it.

"It was crazy, but it was great!"

Even Tsena herself couldn't believe it! In fact, she probably wouldn't have if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes.

"I have newfound respect for you, Tsuna!"

"Wow," Yamamoto whistled lowly, "that was interesting..."

"... Yeah, you can say that again," Tsena laughed, looking at Tsuna in a new light. A sly smirk appeared on her face, though, when she saw Kyoko walk over to talk to Tsuna. Maybe Reborn was that "excitement" she was looking for in her boring life.

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><p>"Wh-What? I'm the Vongola Family's tenth Generation boss? <em>Me?<em>" Tsena stood outside Tsuna's door, mouth slightly gapped. What...?

"I came here because I was requested from the current Vongola Family boss, Kyuudaime, to train you to become an admirable Mafia boss."

'_Ma-Mafia?_' Oh, that brought back a few memories...

"I don't get it! What are you talking about!" Tsuna voiced cried out as Tsena pressed her ear closer to the door, more curious than confused.

"The Vongola Family's first boss retired and crossed to Japan." Tsena heard paper moving, so she assumed Reborn was writing something? He was doing something with paper, at least. "He's your great, great, great grandfather. In other words, since you inherited the Vongola blood, you are a legitimate candidate to become the next boss."

The way Reborn explained it was like it was okay to randomly announce Tsuna was a boss. "I've never heard about this..." The boy trained off, and Tsena could practically see the non-believing look on his face.

"Don't worry, I'll train you to become a great Mafia boss."

So Reborn was going to train Tsuna to be a Mafia boss? Did that mean him being a home-tutor was just a cover-up? Tsena pushed away from the door, pondering her thoughts. Tsuna, a Mafia boss? She wanted to laugh at the thought. Dame-Tsuna, the Juudaime of this Vongola Family?

'But you never know...' Tsena walked to her room, a smile on her face, 'It might just happen...'

What an interesting day, indeed...


	2. The New Transfer's A Pyromaniac?

**Disclaimer:** LOL Tek-Tek no own KHR x'3 If she did, Yama-kun would not be lookin' like some minor character most of the time D; And Dera-kun wouldnt be so mean to him ;A; (Than again, that IS what makes him uke LOL 8059 anyone? 8'D) LOL She does own her OC, Tsena, though XD

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><p><strong>Ball 1:<br>****The New Transfer's A Pyromaniac?**

"Ahaha, you're more dead this morning than usual, Tsena," Yamamoto teased as Tsena yawned, resting her head on her desk.

"Hush, you baseball nut..." Tsena poked him in the side, causing him to jump slightly. She smirked, holding her head up with her hand. That's right, everyone; Yamamoto was ticklish, and only Tsena knew this.

"I'll introduce the transfer student," the teacher's voice called over everyone else's, causing the class to quiet down and look ahead. The teacher gestured to the male beside him. "He was studying abroad in Italy until now." Tsena looked him over. Geez, talk about thuggish. He had (natural?) gray hair that reached his mid-jaw and narrowed green eyes. He looked extremely bored and unamused, a frown on his face. He had silver chains around his neck, rings on his fingers and a black wrist back on his right arm. He wore a red shirt with a short-sleeved thrown over it. His pants were dark blue with a black belt. "His name is Gokudera Hayato-kun."

"Wow, he's so hot."

"On top of that, he's moved from another country."

"What do you think, Tsena?" A girl squealed, turning to her.

"Hm?" Tsena blinked at her, before grimacing when two others leaned towards her.

"Isn't he hot? And he's also a foreigner!"

"Uhm..." Tsena backed away as the girls urged for her opinion. From the corner of her eye, she saw Yamamoto watching with an interested look on his face. Tsena quickly looked away, feeling a bit embarrassed. She ducked her head into her scarf and mumbled, "I have no opinion...?"

"Aww, why not?" They pouted, disappointed. Tsena laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head.

"Maybe she doesn't roll that way?" They started to "whisper" amongst themselves, totally ignoring Tsena now.

"Yeah, maybe. Or... maybe she's already taken~" One girl winked in Yamamoto's direction, smirking slyly. Tsena's face turned bright red as Yamamoto blinked his eyes, confused. Did he miss something?

"I-I'm right here, dammit! I can hear you!"

"Aww, she's blushing!"

"A-Am not!" The sudden noise of a desk hitting the ground caught the girls' attention. Tsena sighed in relief and also turned to the noise. She was surprised to see Gokudera glaring heatedly down at Tsuna, who was now on the ground, his desk being the one that (Gokudera) had apparently toppled over. Tsuna looked scared out of his mind, wondering what in the world he did to ever cross this guy.

"Gokudera-kun! Your seat is... Gokudera-kun!" Gokudera ignored the teacher, eyes on Tsuna. He turned and walked to the very back of the classroom, ignoring the teacher's annoyed look and the girls' flustered ones.

"You know him, Tsuna?" A classmate asked as Tsuna picked himself back up, setting his desk right and slumping forward.

"O-Of course not..." Tsuna was twitching, looking very paranoid.

"He's definitely no good," the student mumbled as Tsena and Yamamoto turned slightly to look at the new student.

"Wonder what his problem is," Tsena mumbled softly as Yamamoto made a small groaning noise.

"That's his good part," a girl whispered to another, "His scary-ness makes me go numb!"

"We're definitely making a fan club!"

"Wanna join, Tsena-chan~?"

"No, thank you..." Fangirls could be scary...

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><p>The sound of the bell ringing startled Tsena as she bolted up. Rubbing her eyes, she looked around, noticing that everyone was leaving. Oh, school was over? Wow, Tsena could hardly believe she slept through the whole class.<p>

"Oh? Ahaha, look who's finally up!"

"Hn?" Tsena looked over to see Yamamoto grinning at her, surrounded by three other students. "Huh? Oh, hey, guys," she mumbled, waving slightly. She remembered them; they were members of the volleyball team. Yamamoto had been helping them out lately, and they had a big game today. The boys nodded and returned her greeting, before following Yamamoto as he walked over to Tsuna, who was still at his desk. Getting up, Tsena followed. Yamamoto reached out and touched his classmate's shoulder.

"Huh?" Tsuna sat up and looked at Tsena's best friend, surprised, "Yamamoto?"

"We're counting on you today, Tsuna!" Tsena blinked as she leaned back on a desk beside Tsuna's, a bit confused.

"Counting on me for…?" Tsuna trailed off, equally confused.

"The volleyball tournament, of course," one of the members answered.

"I didn't know you played volleyball too, Yamamoto," Tsuna mumbled, a bit incredulous at the thought.

"Even though baseball is his club activity, he's still good at other sports, too," a different member explained, giving Yamamoto a grateful look. Tsena chuckled.

"Yama-kun's pro like that." She smirked as Yamamoto bashfully rubbed the back of his head.

"Maa, maa. I'm not the only one who's been on the ball lately." At this, the raven-head looked at Tsuna, "You've been awesome, too. I can't wait to see you in action."

"Come on, we're begging you, please!" The third member stepped forward, clapping his hands together and bowing his head. "We really want to win!"

"A-Ah…" Tsuna could only stare at him, and Tsena was wondering what was going through his head. She and he both knew Tsuna failed at sports; hell, Tsuna failed at a lot of things. He won yesterday because of Reborn – Tsena blinked her eyes at that thought. He wasn't going to…

"I-I guess… I can do it…"

'Tsuna, you wouldn't…'

"Seriously?" The member stood up straight, eyes going wide. "If the hero that beat Senpai joins, we have nothing to fear!" Tsuna seemed to sit a bit taller at being called a hero.

"We can't wait for today's match." The brunet turned to look at Yamamoto, who gave him a thumb's up, "Be sure to show us that power again."

"Yeah, you were so cool, Tsuna-kun!" Oh boy… Tsena nudged her forehead with the bottom of her hand. Enter Kyoko and her friend, Hana.

"After that, no one's called you "Dame-Tsuna"," Hana pointed out, a look of disbelief on her face.

"That's true…" Tsuna trailed off, feeling a bit of pride stirring in him.

"Do your best. I'll be rooting for you." Kyoko smiled at Tsuna, who seemed to be at a loss of words. Now there was no way Tsuna was going to back out. And just like that, the words seemed to roll off his mouth, a promise Tsuna might not be able to fulfill.

"O-Okay, leave it to me!"

'Leave _what_ to you?' Tsena frowned, crossing her arms.

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><p>"Hm? Something wrong, Tsena?" Yamamoto asked, looking at the girl. She was frowning, actually troubled that Tsuna was promising things he couldn't keep. She sighed, pouting as she looked at the Band-Aids and bandages that decorated Yamamoto's arms. Tsuna was cheating, and it bugged her. Yamamoto and the rest of the volleyball team worked hard to get this good, and all Tsuna had to do was get shot in the head and <em>bam!<em>, he was just as good.

'Honestly, Tsuna… What're you thinking…' Tsena made a small noise of surprise as Yamamoto tapped her head with his.

"Wake up, will ya?" He laughed as he leaned against the wall beside her, grinning. "Don't look so serious; it's just a game!"

The turquoise-head stared at the baseball nut for a second, before raising an eyebrow, "Like you should talk. You hate losing." Tsena scratched the tip of her nose, turning her head the other way, "Tsuna's still Dame-Tsuna to the bone, and after just one win, everyone's looking up to him like he's a hero." She frowned, crossing her arms and looking at her best friend. "It bugs me."

"Hm? Why?" Yamamoto blinked, surprised by the bluntness Tsena spoke with about her brother.

Tsena made a face, shaking her head. "I just don't like how they're depending so much on him…" Yamamoto frowned at Tsena's sour mood, poking her cheek.

"How'm I supposed to win with you acting like this? My good luck charm's going sour."

"W-What?" Tsena's face turned red as Yamamoto grinned at her, amused at the sudden 180 change of her attitude. "Who're you calling sour? Dammit, go out there and win!" Tsena pushed the male to the court, hiding her face as she tried to keep her blush under control. How could one simple, mindless comment from him cause her to feel so warm and bubbly?

"Yes, ma'am," Yamamoto chuckled as he pulled Tsena into a hug, laughing when the girl twisted and turned to wiggle her way out of his grip.

"Stop it! Gosh, why are you so embarrassing?"

"Ahaha, 'cause you're so fun to embarrass!"

"It was a rhetorical answer, you baseball nut!" Just then, the rest of the student body started to cheer. Looking over, they saw Tsuna had just entered the gym.

"Hey, the secret weapon's here!"

"Our incredible ringer has appeared!"

"Go, Tsuna!" Tsena twitched at all the shouts and cheers. It was so obvious they were all really depending on Tsuna. As if in a daze, Tsuna stumbled his way to the other players. Tsena punched Yamamoto's shoulder lightly, waving as she walked off court. As she walked off, she brushed shoulders with the new student. He sent her a wicked glare, his eyes hard like emeralds. Tsena glared back, not in the mood to deal with a delinquent.

Throughout the game, Tsena was proved how right she was: Tsuna was nothing short of his usual Dame-Tsuna self. Serves him right, too. The others practiced day and night, poured their blood, sweat, and tears into their training, and Tsuna didn't do anything but get shot by a bullet. Yamamoto saved Tsuna's first blunder, and got the crowd cheering. Soon after, Tsuna had the perfect opportunity to volley the ball back to the other side, but messed up.

"Tsuna-kun…"

"Loser." Tsena looked over to see Kyoko and Hana, each with opposite expressions. Kyoko looked worried and concerned for Tsuna, but Hana looked like she expected this. Tsena looked back to see Gokudera saying something to Tsuna, looking annoyed, but Yamamoto was trying to encourage him to get back up and continue. At the end of the first half, they were down 3 to 21. The referee blew his whistle, ending the first set. Tsena picked up Yamamoto's bottle and towel, walking back out onto court.

"Are you even trying, Tsuna?" A member asked, annoyed.

"If you're just playing around, then leave!"

"We're playing seriously!"

"Thanks, Tsena." Yamamoto smiled gratefully as he ran the towel through his sweaty black hair and gulped down the water. He poured some water on the towel and rubbed his neck, trying to cool off.

"Good game," Tsena offered to say, a small smile on her face. Yamamoto tilted his head, a small grimace on his face.

"We're down quite a lot, though…" Tsena grabbed his hand and tugged his arm out, looking his wounds over. Her green eyes shifted to meet Tsuna's brown ones as he grimaced. He caught her message perfectly. "They're fine," Yamamoto remarked, confused.

"Just making sure, is all." Tsena looked up at Yamamoto, frowning. "I mean, your first priority is baseball…" Tsena knew how important baseball was to Yamamoto, and she'd be damned if he hurt his arm for anything but baseball.

"Aww, you're always taking such good care of me." Yamamoto grinned as Tsena spluttered out nonsense, trying to keep her face from turning red. "That's why you're my lucky charm~"

"Sh-Shut up, you idiot!" Tsena reeled back when Yamamoto's face suddenly appeared in front of her's, his honey-gaze sparkling mischievously.

"Make me," He said immaturely, face dangerously close to her's. Tsena quickly turned away, stepping back.

"Concentrate on the game, will you?" She sighed, faking exasperation as Yamamoto chuckled and leaned back.

"Yes, ma'am!" Tsena looked at Tsuna, wondering what his next move was. She was surprised to see the clear answer in his eyes.

'_I'll do everything I can, and then I'll apologize to everyone after it's over.'_

Tsena smiled and shook her head, looking up at Yamamoto. He was looking at Tsuna, blinking his eyes. "Something about him seems different…"

"Good luck, Yama-kun." She poked his forehead, walking off court with his things.

As the game picked up again, Tsena was shocked. Since when could Tsuna jump seven feet in the air? Tsuna was air-borne high above everyone's head, causing everyone's eyes to bug out. Unfortunately for Tsuna, though, the player spiking the ball, well, spiked it. It flew straight for Tsuna's groin, causing every guy to wince. Still, though, the ball bounced back over the net and fell to the floor.

"I can't believe he would sacrifice a man's most valuable part just to block the ball!" Someone said, incredulously, as everyone stared. Tsuna landed on his feet and was hopping around in pain. Tsena snorted a giggle, covering her mouth. Well, that was certainly unexpected.

"Way to go, Tsuna!" She called, the crowd right behind her. Yamamoto and the others (minus one) complimented and encouraged Tsuna, before the raven-head punched his fist in the air, the rest of the team following. The rest of the game was like a full 180, and in the end, they had won.

"You really did it, Tsuna!" Yamamoto wrapped an arm around the boy's neck, happy to have won.

"Yeah, we won!" Tsuna nodded his head, looking at him. Tsena watched from the sidelines as Yamamoto's eyes sparkled the same way they always did after winning a game. She smiled with them, watching her best friend seeming to bask in the glory.

'Nice win, Yama-kun…' Tsena caught her thoughts and shook her head, her cheeks turning pink. 'You too, Tsuna. Not bad, for Dame-Tsuna.'

* * *

><p>Tsena waited outside the boy's locker room for Yamamoto, wondering where her brother had run off to. She also wondered what Reborn had done to Tsuna to cause him to jump so high. After all, no normal human could do that and the last time she checked, Tsuna was normal.<p>

"Hm?" She watched as boys filed out, before asking about Yamamoto.

"Oh, he's still in there," one answered, before hurrying to catch up with his friends and continue to talk about whatever it was they were talking about.

"Geez, he's taking his time…" Tsena sighed impatiently and looked around. Well, she was always curious as to what the inside of the boy's locker room looked like… "Oh, Yama-kuuuun~" She sang, stepping in and looking around.

'Well, I'll be damned: it looks the same as the girl's one.' Tsena found Yamamoto's bag and sat beside it, staring at the blue lockers with little interest.

"Huh? Oh hey, Tsena." At the sound of her name, Tsena turned her head – and swore her heart froze. Yamamoto's usually spike hair was slightly flattened and covered in water, droplets falling and caressing his tanned and naked body, save for a towel around his waist. Oh gosh, why did he have to look so clueless about this? Dammit, Yamamoto! Think for once!

"S-Sorry!" Tsena stood up and ran out of the locker room, her face the darkest shade of red. Yamamoto blinked his eyes, confused. Did he miss something?

* * *

><p>"Aww, you still mad at me?"<p>

"…"

"C'mon, Tsena." Yamamoto poked Tsena's red cheek, pouting. "Am I that ugly?"

"That's not it!" Tsena flinched as she blurted this, pushing her chin into her scarf and turning her head. Yamamoto raised an eyebrow, still confused. Oh, bless his naïve and oblivious heart. "That's not it at all, Yama-kun." Tsena sighed, feeling tired yet again. He really did just steal her energy away from her, didn't he?

"Huh? Hey, Tsuna!" The turquoise-head heard the raven-head say this and looked up, surprised to see her brother there.

"Y-Yamamoto! Tsena!" The girl blinked her eyes, wondering why Tsuna sounded so desperate. Was something going on?

"What're you doing over there?" Tsena followed Yamamoto over to her brother, just as curious.

"This is the end of Juudaime." The turquoise-head looked over and swore her soul died. What was Gokudera doing playing with _dynamites_? And just why were they being aimed for her brother? "Disappear!"

Tsuna jumped into overdrive, shouting out about extinguishing the dynamites. Tsena hopped to it, stepping on the lights and snuffing them out. Tsuna tried to do the same with his hands but failed miserably.

"What game is this?" Yamamoto asked, clueless, as he picked a dynamite up and stared at it. "It looks like fun! Let us in, too!"

"Y-Yama-kun!" Tsena panicked and stood up straight, trying to think of something to say. "It's like baseball! Quick, throw it into the air!" Tsena spun around and pointed up, and like a switch, Yamamoto went into game mode. He pitched that dynamite hard and far, it exploding in the air. Tsena sighed in relief, doubling over.

"Fight with your dying will!" The teen heard Reborn say, before a gunshot was heard. She looked over to see Tsuna flying backwards, landing on his back. A few more moments later, he was back on his feet, clothes shedding off and standing in only his underwear.

"Extinguish the fires with my dying will!" Tsena watched as Tsuna ran around, putting out all the lights with his hands. She stared at him for a while, before looking at Gokudera.

"Reborn-san…" The baby turned his head, indicating he was listening. "Just who is he, really?"

"It's said that Gokudera Hayato can hide bombs in any part of his body, like a human bomb. His other name is Hurricane Bomb Hayato." Gokudera looked crossed as Tsuna continued to snuff out his dynamite, before doubling the amount he was throwing. When Tsuna managed to extinguish those, he got really annoyed.

"Triple the bombs." Tsena eyed Gokudera out warily as he held those dynamites of his. Seriously, she wondered, just what exactly is this nonsense? The gray-head cursed when he dropped a bomb, soon after losing grip on all the bombs in his arms.

"Haha, death by bombs."

"Hm?" Yamamoto, clueless as ever, looked at Tsena. She waved her arms around, grinning nervously. Tsuna was at the ground below Gokudera, defusing all the dynamites and shocking the gray-head to the core.

"Ah, thank goodness…" Tsuna sighed in relief, his glowing going away.

"Nice work, Tsuna." Tsena walked over, patting her brother's shoulder.

"I did not realize it!" The two Sawadas looked over to see Gokudera on his hands and knees, bowing deeply to Tsuna. "You are the one fit to become the boss."

"Haha, Tsuna, a boss…"

"Juudaime, I'll follow you until the end of the Earth!" Gokudera proclaimed, looking up and staring at Tsuna in a new light. "Ask whatever you want of me!"

"E-Ehhhh?"

"The one who loses becomes the winner's subordinate," Reborn walked over, explaining this, "that is this Family's rule."

"Rule?" Tsuna looked at Tsena, as if she had some answer. The girl just shrugged, as if to say "Your guess is as good as mine".

"Actually, I never had the desire to become Juudaime." Gokudera sat up, staring at the ground. "I just wanted to see if Juudaime really had the strength to become a suitable boss." At a loss of words, Tsuna only mumbled the boy's name. Gokudera looked up at Tsuna like a loving puppy would to its master. Tsena had to resist the urge to laugh. Talk about a 180. "You are much more than I'd expected! You proved me wrong! You even risked your life to save me, even though I was your enemy! As Gokudera Hayato, I will give you my life!"

Tsena wish she had a recorder. The fangirls would pay millions for this. 'I see a pairing. Oh, the yaoi-ness of this is hilarious.'

Tsuna, seeing the smirk on Tsena's face and the mischief behind her green eyes, was quick to deny. Brother or not, Tsena could be quite devious. "Wait, that's troubling! Can't we just be regular classmates?"

"I won't let you do that." Gokudera's eyes narrowed as he stared Tsuna in the eye, almost as if such a thought were voodoo. Tsena had to bite her lip to stop from laughing.

'Yes, Gokudera-kun, fight. Fight for your master…' Tsuna caught the look Tsena had on her face and felt his heart skip a beat. Dear lord, what was he getting himself into? Still, though, between the scary look Gokudera was giving him and Tsena's mischievous smirk, he found himself speechless… again.

"Ahaha, I don't get what's going on," Yamamoto laughed, poking Tsena. Tsena only gave an evil chuckle, one that confused her best friend.

"It's nothing, Yama-kun. Nothing at all."

"… That scary look doesn't say that."

"Hehehe… Let's just say… Dera-kun and I are going to be _great_ friends…"

"… Should I be jealous?" Yamamoto faked a pout, causing Tsena to eye him suspiciously.

"Do you even know what 'jealous' means?"

"… Maybe."

"… No comment."

"Ahahaha, what?"

"Exactly." Yamamoto shrugged it off with a laugh, slinging an arm around Tsuna's neck.

"Tsuna, you're really such a funny guy! Let me into the group, too."

"Ehh?" Tsuna was confused.

"You're the boss, right?" The look on Tsuna's face was one of amazement. In fact, Tsena had to laugh at it.

"Yes, Tsuna; Yama-kun thinks this is a game."

"Oh?" Yamamoto looked at Tsena, blinking his eyes. "Isn't it? Maa, who cares? Lemme join, Tsena!"

"Hey, you!" Gokudera growled, glaring heatedly at Tsena's best friend. The three turned to the gray-head, "Don't get so friendly with Juudaime!"

"Aww, Dera-kun~" Gokudera twitched at the nickname, growling even more as Tsena wrapped her arms around her brother, "Why not? After all, he is my brother."

At that, he looked bewildered. "J-Juudaime's onee-sama?"

"Oooh, I liiiike. Yes, Juudaime's onee-sama."

"You're enjoying this a little too much, Tsena…"

"Hush, Bossu."

"E-Ehhh?"

"Ahaha, c'mon~ I wanna play, too!"

"Huh, what's up with them?" The four students turned to see a three of their senpais eyeing them and snickering amongst themselves.

"Haha, that underwear guy is such a loser!"

"Ew, third year delinquents." Tsena pulled a face, not at all amused.

"Hey, ain't that that kendo girl?" Said girl twitched.

"I hear she's that loser's sister! And that she's dating some sport nut!"

"H-Hey!" Tsena tried to sound anything but embarrassed.

"Huh? You know them, Tsena?" Yamamoto asked, looking at her.

"N-No!"

"Looks like it's time to make myself useful." Gokudera stood up, reaching in his shirt for dynamites.

"E-Eehhhhh?"

"I'll totally annihilate them." Gokudera's face was shadowed by his bangs, his lips pressed to a thin line as he walked towards the three senpais. Tsuna tried to stop him, but Tsena slapped her hand over his mouth and encouraged the Italian. From the distance, all that was heard were the sounds of dynamites going off, mixed with Tsena's sadistic laugh and Yamamoto's clueless one.

* * *

><p>Tek-Tek: ... *giggle snort*<br>Gokudera: ... Shut up  
>Tek-Tek: D: Why you so mean?<br>Gokudera: Because! Your naming sense is ridiculous!  
>Tek-Tek: Only because I wanted to name this "Dyna-might"~<br>Gokudera: *twitch* EXACTLY!  
>Tek-Tek: I cant help it! Every time I see you, I think "DIE-NO-MIIIIGHT!" x3<br>Gokudera: SHUT UP, WOMAN!  
>Tek-Tek: btw, sorry if Yama-kun's a bit OOC XD I can actually picture him being a clueless flirt XD<br>Drocell: Like Lau? o:  
>Tek-Tek: LOL WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?<br>Drocell: Oh my. So than I find myself wondering... Why is my fair lady yelling at me? D;  
>*Tek-Tek so didnot have sugar while typing this and watching Kuroshitsuji x3*<p> 


	3. Love Can Be Deadly

Dude, thank Gawd for auto-save ;A; I swear, I almost died. I almost had this chapter done, right, and so my computer decided to me an ass to be and shut me down and I didnt save since I started ;A; I come back on and open the doc, expecting the worse, and there was this thing that said "Would you like to continue from where Word last auto-saved?" And I was like "oAo... ;o; *heaven light*" Sure, a chunk was missing, but it was nothing I couldnt handle XD OhGawd ftw ;A;

* * *

><p><strong>Ball 2:<br>****Love Can Be Deadly**

Tsena and Yamamoto jumped as a loud _bang!_ sounded from Tsuna's room.

"Wh-What was that?" Yamamoto asked, looking at the turquoise-head.

"You ask like I'm supposed to know," Tsena countered, though she had an idea. Reborn and his Spartan ways. "Oi, stop slacking off and keep reading."

Yamamoto pouted, waving the small book in his hand around, his thumb keeping him from losing his page. "But reading English is so boring~"

"Right, and that's why you have a failing grade."

"… But it's so booooring~"

"Read it now, Yama-kun." Yamamoto slouched forward, his face close to Tsena's. He was sitting on her bed, the turquoise-head on the floor.

"Why don't you ever call me 'Takeshi', Tsena?" The raven-head asked, eyebrows knitted together as he looked at her confused. Tsena's face was pink before she closed her eyes and raised a fist to her mouth, coughing slightly and leaning back.

"Because," Yamamoto waited for the answer, "… It's weird calling you by your given name."

"… But I do it all the time."

"… Well, you're weird to boot."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am noooot."

"Are toooo."

"Am –"

"You're just trying to distract me from your reading, aren't you?"

"… Is it working?"

"Yamamoto, you baseball nut, read!" Tsena smacked him upside the head with a paper fan, Yamamoto whining as he held his head.

"But, but, but… It's so boooring~"

"Kore wa enpitsu desu."

"… What?"

"Translate."

"… This is a baseball?"

"NOT EVERYTHING HAS TO DO WITH BASEBALL!"

"But, but, but! But baseball's not boring!"

"YAMAMOTO!" Tsena stood up to smack him with a baseball bat, Yamamoto leaning back on his hands and grinning widely. He saw the bat but did nothing; he knew how this was going to end. Tsena slumped forward on her knees, forehead on his knee. "You drive me crazy."

"I know." Yamamoto ruffled her short hair, laughing. "I love you, too, no worries." Tsena really wished her heart didn't swell at his words. It's not like he meant them as anything more than just… words.

With a sigh, Tsena stood up, "Hungry, baseball nut?" Yamamoto nodded his head, eyes closed in glee. "Let's take a break and go get something to eat."

"Yes, ma'am~" He followed the girl out her room, down the stairs and to the kitchen.

"Ah, Tse-chan, Yamamoto," Tsena's mother, Nana, smiled at the two, "How's the studying?"

"Ahaha, it's going great!" Yamamoto answered as Tsena stared at her mother warily, "Tsena-chan's a great teacher~ She's a lot of fun."

"Oh, is she now?" Nana gave her daughter "that look" as Tsena's face turned bright red at both it and the suffix.

"Yama-kun's a yakyu-baka through and through, Kaa-san." Nana giggled, patting her head.

"Boys will be boys, Tse-chan."

"Tell me about it…" Yamamoto just laughed, patting the girl's shoulder.

"Maa, maa, Tsena, don't sound so sour about it."

"… I'm glaring at you, I hope you know that."

"I can tell." Suddenly, the doorbell ranged. Tsena stood up straight and went to get the door. Nana turned to the baseball nut.

"Yamamoto, are you hungry?" Yamamoto broke out in a grin and nodded his head.

"Reborn-kun, let's play!" Tsena heard a voice on the other side of the door, the person ringing the doorbell continuously.

"Hello, who is it?" The turquoise-head asked politely, opening the door. She felt something brush against her leg and looked down, seeing a little kid with an afro in a cow suit run past her. "… What is this nonsense? I don't even…" Tsena closed the door and followed the boy out of curiosity. The cow went up the stairs and slammed Tsuna's door open.

"It's been a while, Reborn! It's me! Lambo!"

Tsuna looked at the cow, Lambo, surprised. "Is this someone you know?" He asked, looking at his home tutor. Reborn spoke to Tsuna as if he hadn't asked anything, looking up at the boy from the math book in front of him. Lambo looked crestfallen.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Lambo shouted, anger vein on his afro, as he charged at Reborn with a fist out. With a simple move of his hand, Reborn had sent Lambo into the wall. Tsena blinked her eyes. Super babies, that's what came to mind.

"Cruel…" Tsuna mumbled, watching as Lambo slid down.

"I tripped on something…" Lambo reasoned, before exclaiming, "The five-year-old Hitman Lambo-san of the Bovino Family, who came from Italy, has tripped! My favorite foods are grapes and candy drops! The sworn rival of Reborn, Lambo-san, has tripped!" Tsena stared at the baby. Was… Was he introducing himself while trying not to cry?

"…" Tsena's face was blank as she backed out of Tsuna's room, catching her brother's look that screamed for help. Tsena simply closed the door, dropping her hand and staring at it.

"Hm? Tsena?" Yamamoto nudged the turquoise-head with his head. She turned to look at him, seeing he was munching on a cookie, a plate of them in his other hand. "Cookie?"

"… Yes," Tsena nodded her head, grabbing one, "cookie. Cookies are good for the soul. It makes everything make sense." With that, she led Yamamoto back to her room, ignore the loud _boom!_ that came from Tsuna's room. Whatever her brother was up to was none of her business.

"What was that?"

"The air, Yama-kun. The air exploded with cookies and unicorns and rainbows."

"… Really?"

"Yes, really. Now c'mon, Yama-kun, we're going to Candy Mountain."

"Candy Mountain?" Yamamoto blinked his eyes, wondering just what was wrong with Tsena.

"Yes, Candy Mountain, filled with sugary goodness and English."

Yamamoto frowned, "But, but, but! But English is boooring~"

"Don't make me steal your kidney."

* * *

><p>"Good morning, Juudaime!" Gokudera greeted Tsuna the next day, bright smile on his face. Tsuna was taken aback.<p>

"G-Gokudera-kun!" The brunet looked around, before turning back to the silver-head, "Stop calling me that…"

"No, Juudaime is the 10th."

"But…" Tsuna tried to think of something to say, before a voice from behind spoke up.

"Oh, you're still playing the Mafia game? Looks like fun!" Tsuna looked over his shoulder to see Tsena and Yamamoto, the raven-head looking between Gokudera and Tsuna, "Let me into the 'Family' thing, too."

Tsuna gave Tsena a look and Tsena giggled. Her brother still couldn't believe her best friend thought this was just a game.

"What? You're after becoming Juudaime's right-hand man!" Gokudera stepped forward challenging, glaring at Yamamoto. He jabbed a finger at the baseball nut. "It won't go that easily! Juudaime's right-hand man is me! Right, Onee-sama?" The silver-head grinned at Tsena, who sweatdropped.

"What now?" She didn't really want to get involved.

"Tsenaaa," Yamamoto whined, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and leaning down so his head touched her temple, "Let me play, too!"

"Hey, don't get so friendly with Onee-sama, you pervert!"

"Huh? Pervert?" Yamamoto blinked as Tsena tried not to laugh. Yamamoto, a pervert. Oh, it sounded so humorous to her.

"Let's just forget about all this boss and subordinate stuff," Tsuna interrupted a hint of desperation in his voice. Yamamoto lifted his head to rest on top of Tsena's, looking at Gokudera.

"Come on, let me into your group."

"The more, the merrier."

"Tsena agrees~"

"You guys, you're in the way." The four turned to see Hana and Kyoko standing behind Tsuna, Hana looking as bored as usual and Kyoko with her usual innocent smile.

"Good morning, Tsuna-kun," She greeted, looking at the boy. Almost instantly, a smile broke out across his face as he bashfully rubbed the back of his head.

"K-Kyoko-chan! Good morning."

"So the rumors about you two are true, huh?" Hana smirked as she looked at Tsena and Yamamoto, his arms now draped over her shoulders from behind with his head still on hers. Tsena's face turned cherry red as Yamamoto blinked his eyes.

"Rumors about what being true?"

"No-Nothing! Those rumors are like a cake!"

"... Delicious?"

"NO! A LIE!"

"Don't lie, Tsena, cakes are delicious."

"That's not what I meant…" Yamamoto laughed, cutting their conversation short.

"Is this kid your brother?" Kyoko asked, pointing down.

"Eh?" Tsuna looked down to see Lambo attached to his leg. "What?"

"… When did he get here?" Tsena asked, leaning over Tsuna's shoulder.

"Who is he?" Gokudera asked from the brunet's other shoulder.

"Aw, it's cute~" Yamamoto cooed, causing Tsena to twitch. Well, what do you know? Yamamoto was a kid's person. Who would of thunk it? Tsena stared at Lambo thoughtfully. She wondered if Yamamoto knew where babies come from. The turquoise-head smirk. She would have to ask one day.

"How old are you, little boy? Are you lost?" Kyoko asked, leaning down to look at Lambo.

"Is it really okay to bring him to school?" Hana asked, annoyed. She, for one, hated kids.

"N-No, it's not like that…" Tsuna pulled at Lambo's afro, trying to detach him from his leg. But Lambo would have none of that. He held Tsuna's leg tighter, tears falling from his eyes. He gave up with a sigh, looking at Tsena. She shrugged, before noticing how tense the air was. Looking ahead, she saw the students step aside for the Demon of Namimori himself. His eyes were narrowed, looking like a predator amongst prey, their stormy gray-blue gaze not really focused on anything, his black hair contrasting to his white school uniform top, wearing a red tie around his neck, black pants, and regular school shoes.

"The director of the Discipline Committee, Hibari-san!" Tsuna mumbled under his breath, tense and nervous.

"Oh my… We're in for it." Hibari looked their group over, before noticing Lambo.

"I'm sorry, I'll return him immediately!" Tsuna said, running off with Gokudera following.

"Hey, come back before class starts!" Yamamoto called after them, lifting his head slightly before placing it back on Tsena's.

"I wonder what Hibari-san's going to do…"

"Hibari-san is so creepy…"

"Not really," Tsena spoke up, looking at the girl who said that, "Hibari-san's awesome." Tsena was never on Hibari's bad side, even helped the demon out with a few "chores", per say, around the school in her free time. To say she was on Hibari's good side was… mutually right.

"How long are you going to crowd there?" Hibari asked, causing everyone to flinch. "I'll bite you all to death." Just like that, everyone ran to their class and left the hallways empty save for Hibari, Tsena, and Yamamoto. The two stared at the demon, watching as he walked forward towards them.

"Morning, Hibari-san," Yamamoto greeted the prefect who stopped in front of the two.

"Yamamoto Takeshi," Hibari spoke to the baseball nut, "PDA is against the school rules. Remove yourself from her at once."

"Huh?" The raven-head blinked as Tsena turned slightly pink. Hibari pressed his hand to Yamamoto's forehead and pushed him back, causing the boy to stumble a bit before he catching himself. The prefect's hand dropped to Tsena's hair, ruffling it a bit, before he turned his back to them.

"Shouldn't you two be in class?" With that, he walked way. Tsena stared after him, resting a hand on her head. Did Hibari just…?

"Awww… Hibari-san has a soft side." Yamamoto stared at Tsena as she giggled before pouting. For some reason, he felt something stir in his stomach. Why was his best friend so happy about Hibari, anyway? "Huh? Yama-kun, you space cadet, come back to Earth." Yamamoto blinked and noticed Tsena was waving her hand in front of his face.

"Huh? Oh, right." With a laugh, the two walked into class and took their regular seats. Just before Tsena could get comfortable, her desk suddenly opened up and Reborn came up from it on a chair.

"What the – Reborn-san?" Tsena leaned back, eye twitching. She didn't know whether to be annoyed, shocked, or scared.

"Tsena, where's Tsuna?" The baby asked as if it were completely normal to randomly pop out of a desk.

"Uhm… Hibari-san told him to get rid of that baby cow boy… thing." Tsena's mind was still wondering how in the world Reborn managed to do this.

"I see. Pay attention and study hard. Take notes for Tsuna to study later." With that, Reborn's chair retreated back into the desk, it closing up after him. Tsena counted to three, before opening her desk and looking around. Nothing. No sign that Reborn had ever been there.

"Oh, what the - … I don't even want to know."

Tsena knew the word to describe how she felt. She wasn't annoyed, shocked, or scared: she was disturbed.

* * *

><p>"Geez, this morning was a disaster," Tsuna sighed, unwrapping his bento. "I got to class late and was scolded…"<p>

"Even though you were just helping out a lost kid." Gokudera, Tsena, Tsuna, and Yamamoto were on their school's roof. Tsena stared at Yamamoto's bento, waiting for the perfect opportunity to steal it. Even though she often woke up early to make her own bento (like she tells her mother when asked about her diet), she usually doesn't. Instead, she just steals some of Yamamoto's. After all, his father's sushi was to die for. Oh, Tsena's mouth just watered at the thought of it. Best sushi around.

"Why are you even here, baseball freak?" Gokudera asked sourly, warily looking at Yamamoto.

"Maa, don't be like that. Eating lunch under a clear blue sky is the best," Yamamoto answered simply, looking up at the sky.

'There!' Tsena quickly reached for his bento, successfully stealing it and hiding it behind her.

"Yeah, that's true," Tsuna agreed, nodding his head and opening his lunch. "Eh?" Purple mist flew up from it, catching three birds above off guard and causing them to fall from the sky in a twitching heap.

"Oh, what the hell is this? More nonsense?" They leaned forward to examine Tsuna's lunch, seeing it full of… ominous purple stuff and bugs. "… Tsuna's on a weird diet…"

"T-This is…" Gokudera trailed off, his mouth dropped as he stared at the food in shock.

"It's better if you don't eat that. You'll go straight to heaven with one bite."

"Reborn!" The four looked up to see the baby staring down at them, before he turned to look somewhere else.

"Come out. I know you're there, Bianchi."

"Huh?" They looked over to see a tall, beautiful woman with long, pale orchid hair and dark green eyes. She was leaning against a wall, wearing a short green tank top that showed her stomach and the word "EARTH" across her chest, black slim pants, and regular shoes, a scorpion tattoo on her left upper arm. Her light pink lips were pulled back in a soft smile as she stared at them.

"The girl from this morning!" Tsuna gasped quietly, staring at her. Tsena was more amused by Gokudera's reaction. He looked… shocked. No, shocked was an understatement: he looked modified.

"Aneki…" He mumbled loud enough to barely be heard, before his stomach made a loud gurgling sound. He hunched forward slightly, holding his stomach while his bangs shadowed his face.

"Ane… _Ane_?" Tsuna exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

"Who knew Dera-kun had a sister…" Tsena and Yamamoto stood up as well as they stared at the woman approaching them.

"It's been a while, Hayato." Bianchi stopped in front of them, looking at her kid brother. Gokudera didn't reply; he couldn't. His stomach was causing him too much pain. Bianchi instead looked up at the baby.

"Ciaossu, Bianchi," Reborn said simply, and Tsena was a bit surprised at the lady's response.

"Reborn!" She said in a bit of a dreamy gasp, her eyes seeming to glaze over with some kind of emotion as a blush dusted her cheeks. "I've come to take you back, Reborn." Bianchi lowered her head, closing her eyes as she played with her hair. "Let's do some large-scale jobs again. The place where you belong is in the dangerous and thrilling underworld."

"Wait, so… Bianchi's a hitman, too?"

"I told you before, Bianchi, I have the job of raising Tsuna."

"Poor Reborn!" Bianchi whipped a tear from the side of her eye, looking at Tsuna and pointing a finger at him. "That means if the 10th doesn't die in some horrible accident, Reborn will never be free!"

"E-Ehhhh?" Shivers crawled up Tsuna's back from the hidden threat embedded in Bianchi's voice.

"I'll wait for it. I'll kill the 10 – I mean, if the 10th dies, I'll come bring you back." Bianchi turned and walked away, looking at Reborn one last time. She disappeared through the door, leaving the air tense. Tsuna looked down in the dumps, Gokudera was still on the ground, Yamamoto looked confused and clueless, and Tsena was… trying not to get caught eating her best friend's lunch.

"… Tsena, where's my bento?" Yamamoto asked, breaking the tense air as he looked at the girl, hand on his hip. Tsena stopped chewing whatever she had in her mouth, an "Oh crap" look on her face. She slowly took two more chews, swallowing before looking at Yamamoto.

"… I don't know?" She answered, smiling as she hid her hands – and his bento - behind her back.

"Oh?" Yamamoto leaned towards her, his face, once again, in hers. Tsena tried hard not to blush as she faked a cute smile and tilted her head, eyes closed. She tried to play innocent, but Yamamoto just smirked. He lifted a finger and poked Tsena's cheek, causing her to open her eyes. Green eyes met hazel ones as Tsena swallowed a bit at the mischievous smirk. He leaned even closer so his nose touched hers, watching with amusement as Tsena's face turned cherry red.

"A-Alright, fine, here!" She thrusted his bento in his arms and jumped away from him, hugging herself. Yamamoto laughed, always finding her reaction to him being so close amusing. Yamamoto took a bite of his bento, turning to look at Tsuna.

"Gokudera's sister sure is pretty," he commented absentmindedly, not noticing how his best friend flinched. She looked down at her arms, mentally judging and comparing herself to Bianchi. Before she could fall deeper into her depression, she heard a groan. Looking over, Tsena saw Gokudera was now on his forearms and knees, hunched over on the ground now.

"Dera-kun doesn't look so well…" She walked over to him and kneeled down, resting a hand on his back. "We should take him to the infirmary."

"Huh?" Tsuna blinked his eyes into focus and looked at Gokudera before nodding his head, "R-Right…" Tsena swung Gokudera's arm around her neck and helped him to his feet. Yamamoto did the same to his other arm. Quickly, they ran to the nurse's office and rested Gokudera down on a bed.

"Hm, it looks like the nurse isn't here…" Yamamoto said as he looked around, before nudging Tsena, "Let's go look for one."

"Yeah, please." Tsuna nodded his head, watching as the two walked out. Yamamoto frowned when he noticed how quiet Tsena was.

"Oi, Tse –"

"We better hurry." Tsena cut him off, breaking out in a run. The baseball nut made a noise of surprise before sprinting after her. The turquoise-head wasn't even paying attention, blocking out Yamamoto calling her name, and not even seeing the caution sign before she skidded across the wet floor. Tsena gave a cry as she waved her arms around to try and stay afoot. Her back hit against a wall hard, causing her to groan and close her eyes. Her breath hitched when a body fell against hers. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked up. Yamamoto's body was pressed against hers, his face so close that his forehead touched hers. Tsena's lips were mere centimeters from his as he stared into her eyes, a look she's never seen in his eyes there. He better fitted himself so his forearms were pressed against the wall on either side of her head, trapping Tsena against the wall and his body, his face still so close.

So close… If she nudged her head forward, she'd be able to…

"Tsena?" The two froze. Yamamoto's gazed seem to harden a bit before he blinked his eyes and leaned back, looking over his shoulder. Tsena slowed her racing heart and stood up straight to see Kyoko looking at them concerned. "Uhm… Am I interrupting something?" The girl asked, looking between the two. Tsena shook her head, seeming to have lost her voice.

"Ahaha, it's what we get for running in the hall." The turquoise-head looked at Yamamoto, noting how he forced that laugh. "Did you need Tsena for something, Kyoko?"

"W-Well –"

"Y-Yama-kun…" Tsena rested a hand on his shoulder, causing the boy to look at her, "I, uh, made plans with Kyoko…"

"Oh, haha, 'kay!" Yamamoto grinned at her, rubbing the back of his neck, "Well, I'll continue looking for a nurse. Have fun, Tsena! Bye, Sasagawa!" The baseball nut waved before racing off, being careful not to slip this time. Tsena stared after him with mixed emotions.

* * *

><p>"Too bad for Gokudera, getting a stomachache at a time like this."<p>

"Y-Yeah."

The door was pushed to the side, showing the girls on the other side, each holding a plate with either a single cake or two slices on top. "Today we'll give the cakes we made in home economics class…" Hana began, before the rest of the girls finished.

"To the guys!" Chocolate, vanilla cream, banana, cakes of all kinds caused the boys to drool and cheer.

"They look so good!"

"Give 'em to me, to me!"

"Gokudera-kun isn't here?"

"Do you want mine, Yoshimoto-kun?"

"I hope Yamamoto-kun will take mine~"

Tsena sighed, staying out in the very back. She slid down the wall and hugged her legs close to her chest, her chocolate cake resting beside her. She couldn't get that look out of her mind. It was so… un-Yamamoto-like. It was like a switch turned on in him and he was someone else, kind of like if he were playing baseball. It was so weird… She wanted to see it again.

She was snapped from her thoughts, though, when she saw Bianchi. Tsena watched as the woman switched Kyoko's cake for one of her ominous cakes. Tsuna ran over, having seen Bianchi, and was confronted by his crush.

"Tsuna-kun, do you want to eat it?" Kyoko asked innocently, smiling at the boy as she held up "her" cake. Tsuna grimaced and flinched away from it, confusing the girl. "You don't like sweets?"

"N-No, it's not that…" Tsuna tried to explain, but his tongue was tied. He tried desperately to think of something to say to explain his situation, but couldn't. Tsena could only picture the sad look on Kyoko's face, probably looking like a dog that's been kicked.

"Ooh, they look really good!" She heard her best friend exclaim, walking up beside Tsuna and peering at Kyoko's cake. "Can I have one, too?"

"Sure, go ahead." Kyoko turned to smile at Yamamoto as he stared at the cake. All honestly, he was kidding. There was only one cake he really wanted…

"Hey, where's Tsena?" He asked, taking a cake out of politeness.

"I'm not really sure…" Kyoko answered, looking around. Suddenly, Tsuna slapped the cake from Yamamoto's hand up into the air, doing the same to Kyoko's. Tsena tilted her head. Tsuna chose to protect everyone's stomachs over saving face in front of his crush.

"Well, he is a boss… Haha, like a boss." She still found that humorous. Suddenly, Tsuna was knocked back on his back. His body seemed to glow as he jumped back on his feet, his clothes shredding off.

"I'll eat cake with my dying will!" He jumped into the air and ate both slices of Bianchi's cake, smirking as he licked his lips, "It's good!"

"The Poison Cooking isn't working!" Tsena looked to her left to see Bianchi, mouth gapped in disbelieve.

"Poison Cooking?" Tsena mumbled, before staring at Tsuna with wide eyes, "Geez, Tsuna, when did you get a stomach of steel?"

"Not enough!" Tsuna cried, racing around the classroom and stealing everyone's cakes.

"My cake!"

"What are you doing?"

"Sawada's eating them!"

"Still not enough!"

"Someone stop him!" Everyone rushed as Tsuna to stop him but it was too late.

"I-I ate them… all?" Tsuna looked around, sweatdropping as every guy glared at him.

"Sawada!" Tsena stood up and walked to the door, watching.

"There's no more… cake?" Looking down, she saw Lambo with tears in his eyes. She had to wonder when he got there. "Ga… ma… n…" He reached in his afro and pulled out a large purple bazooka… from his afro. Tsena twitched, hitting her head against the wall. Would this nonsense ever cease? "I can't!" With that, Lambo jumped into the bazooka, pulling a string attached to the trigger and setting it off.

"Whoa…" Once the pink smoke disappeared, she stared at the teenager in the mist. He had dark hair and a green eye, since his right one was closed, wearing a cow imprinted collar shirt under a black long-sleeve one, dipped to show his chest, beige pants and sandals. Well damn, where did he come from? And where's Lambo? Nevermind, forget about Lambo, who was this guy?

"Adult Lambo appeared!" Tsuna exclaimed, pointing at the teenager. Tsena blinked, before slapping her forehead. Of course he was.

"If it comes to this…" Everyone turned their heads at the new voice, seeing Bianchi running with large purple cake in her hands. "I'm feeding you my special cake!" She froze when she saw Lambo, though. "Y-You're…" She whispered almost breathlessly, staring at him, "Romeo! You're Romeo!"

"Huh? Who's Romeo?" Tsuna asked, Lambo, Tsena, and Yamamoto wondering the same thing.

"That's right, that idiot looked a lot like Bianchi's ex-boyfriend," Reborn spoke up from beside Tsuna, holding a picture.

"When did Reborn-san get here?" Tsena asked, looking at the baby. Reborn ignored the question and held his picture up for them to see.

"They're exactly the same!" Tsuna pointed out as Tsena nodded.

"That's scary… So wait, how's this Lambo?"

"Huh? Oh, you weren't there when it happened..." Tsuna looked at Tsena, before scratching his cheek. "You saw the bazooka, right?" Tsena nodded her head. "That's the 10-Year Bazooka. A person hit with it will be replaced with themselves from 10 years in the future and it only lasts five minutes."

"I… I see… So, like… That cool guy is… Lambo?"

"I know, right. It's unbelievable."

"A-A lot of things… Yeah, okay, I need… I don't even…" Tsena didn't know what to think.

"Oh Romeo, you were still alive." Tsena looked over at Bianchi warily, just in time to see her soft look turn deadly. "Take this!" She ran at Lambo and spun around, "Poison Cooking!" She spammed her cake in his face. Lambo fell on the ground in a twitching heap.

"L-Lambo!"

"What?"

"It seems the reason Bianchi and her ex-boyfriend broke up was because of an argument."Tsena and Tsuna shared a look, before racing over to either side of Lambo.

"Hey, Lambo, are you okay?"

"Keep it together!" They shook the boy, but to no prevail; Lambo was out like a light.

"Maybe medical treatment ten years later will help him," Reborn spoke up, but didn't sound like he particularly cared. Tsena sighed, leaning back and scratching the back of her head. She looked over at Yamamoto, before turning slightly pink when he was staring back. Tsena stood up and walked over to her cake on the ground before walking to Yamamoto.

"Here…" She bowed her head and held the cake out to him.

"Huh?" Yamamoto blinked as he took the cake, a bit confused. Tsena didn't know why she felt so self-conscious and timid. She was just giving her best friend a cake! "Ahahaha, for me? Thanks!" Yamamoto wound an arm around Tsena and pulled her close to him, leaning down to nuzzle her neck. A shiver ran down the girl's spine as he did this and her face flushed as she wrapped her arms around him, doing the same to his jaw. Yamamoto chuckled lightly, Tsena feeling it more than hearing it as she hugged Yamamoto tighter.

* * *

><p>I swear, Tsena's new catchphrase is gonna be "What is this - I dont even..." XD<p> 


	4. Homework Disaster

**Ball 3:  
><strong>**Homework Disaster**

"Gokudera Hayato-kun. You got 100 points on the math test." Everyone "ooh"ed and "aw"ed as the teacher passed the Italian his test.

"That's amazing, Gokudera-kun." Even Tsuna was a bit surprised.

"Nah, this much is easy," Gokudera replied, bashful as always when it came to Tsuna.

"Wow," Tsena mumbled from her seat beside Yamamoto, "so the delinquent doesn't have dynamites-for-brains. You learn something new every day."

"Sawada Tsena-chan. You got 86 points on your test."

"Huh? I did?" Tsena blinked her eyes. She didn't even study for that test and she passed? Talk about lucky. Yamamoto laughed as Tsena went to go get her test from the teacher.

"See? Even you can be smart when you want to." He gave the girl a cheesy grin as Tsena stared at her test.

"Way to go, Onee-sama!" Gokudera whispered from behind her, grinning. Tsena looked back at him and grabbed his test, comparing answers. She almost laughed out loud when she realized half the stuff on her test that the teacher had marked correct was incorrect.

'Yeah, lucky is right. Being lucking for the win.'

"Sawada Tsunayoshi, Yamamoto Takeshi." At the calls of their names, both boys stood up. "20 points. You two will be getting extra homework for failing the test. Your work needs to be submitted tomorrow. You must get all the questions correct or –" The final bell for school rang, cutting the teacher off mid-sentence. He sighed and assigned the homework, giving Tsuna and Yamamoto their extra work.

"_Still a baseball nut through and through, huh?"_ Tsena wanted to say but didn't. After all, how could she say something when she herself probably got a failing grade? Instead, she just laughed and patted Yamamoto's shoulder.

"Hahaha, I should take a page from your book, Tsena, and learn how to study!"

'Studying has nothing to do with it…' Tsena smiled innocently before frowning.

"This means you have to skip baseball practice today." Yamamoto grimaced slightly, before laughing it off.

"It's alright! One day of no practice, no big deal! Oh hey, since your brother also failed, we should do the work together!" Yamamoto looked over to where Tsuna's desk was, surprised to see him gone. "Huh?"

"Tsuna doesn't beat around the bush when it comes to leaving school," Tsena informed, poking his side, "He's probably half way home."

"Than what are we waiting for?" The two made it off school campus and caught up with Tsuna in no time. Yamamoto sped up a bit and touched his shoulder.

"Huh?" Tsuna stopped and turned around to face the two.

"Yo! Do you wanna do the homework together?" Yamamoto asked, "It'll be a lot faster with two people than with one."

"And what am I? Chop liver?" Tsena pouted as she crossed her arms.

"Huh?" Yamamoto looked at her, before grinning, "But you're always with me! I don't count you because I know you'll be there because if you don't, I'll hunt you down and make you come~"

"… Oh, so now I'm being held hostage?"

"… Maybe." The two laughed before turning back to Tsuna, "Well, Tsuna?"

"Yeah, sure!" Tsuna was quick to agree. Yamamoto had a good point: two heads were better than one, and since Tsena was also going to be there, three heads were better than two.

"Then do it at our house." The three looked around, trying to find the source of the voice.

"What the…" Tsena trailed off, before hearing Reborn again.

"I'm here." She looked at a tree pot to see one of the trees uprooted and turn to face them, Reborn's face showing itself from the tree bark. Tsena and Tsuna jumped and made noises of surprise as they wondered just how in the world Reborn managed to do that. Yamamoto didn't seem fazed at all.

"Yo!" He leaned down, smiling at the baby. Reborn pulled his tree costume off and held a hand up in greeting,

"Ciaossu."

"Why are you choosing where we should do our homework?" Tsuna demanded, a bit annoyed that a baby was telling him what to do.

"Well, why not?" Tsena asked, shrugging, "I was going to suggest the same place."

"But…" Tsuna tried to argue but Reborn slapped Tsuna over the head.

"Idiot, it's because I'm your tutor." Tsuna froze a bit, looking at Yamamoto. How was he supposed to explain this? He looked at Tsena, but she just smirked.

"H-Hey!" Tsuna didn't know why Reborn had to be so blunt about everything. Didn't he know it was unusual for a baby to be a teenagers tutor? To his surprise, though, Yamamoto laughed out loud.

"Tsuna, you have a great tutor!" He continued to laugh as Tsuna looked at Tsena, unsure how to reply.

"He thinks it's a joke."

"… Again?"

"Yuuup~" Tsuna turned to stare up at Yamamoto, a bit envious. He wanted to be that clueless and make it look okay.

"By the way, I called Gokudera too," Reborn cut in, looking at Tsuna.

"Eeeehhh?" Tsuna paused and through about that, before exhaling a bit in relief, "Well, I guess it'll help. Gokudera-kun is really smart and even Tsena managed to pass."

"No she didn't." Reborn looked at Tsena as she twitched. Just how in the world did Reborn know? "Tsena didn't pass the test at all. In fact, I'd say she made at least a 36." At that, Yamamoto stopped laughing and stared at Tsena.

"Sensei gave you a wrong score?"

"… Maybe." Yamamoto pouted as Tsena waved her hands in defense, "I didn't do it."

"You should've said something to him, Tsena." Tsena looked away, scratching the back of her neck.

"But but but –"

"No buts." Yamamoto poked her cheek, "Tomorrow, you're going to tell Senei he graded your test wrong, 'kay?"

"… Oh-kaaaay," Tsena sighed, crossing her arms and pouting, "You're so mean to me, Yama-kun."

"Lies~" Yamamoto wrapped an arm around her neck, "I just care~"

Tsena scoffed and waved him away, "Go home and change. Come over in a bit with your homework, 'kay?"

" 'Kay~" Yamamoto waved before running off, leaving the Reborn, Tsena, and Tsuna behind.

"… You know," Reborn spoke up, causing the two to look at him, "Yamamoto's only this clueless with you."

"I know," Tsena shrugged, "I'm his best friend, what more do you need."

Reborn's eyes twinkled mischievously, "Maybe he likes you."

"E-Ehh?" Tsena's face turned bright red as she stared at the baby with wide-eyes, "Lies! Lies, I tell you! What nonsense doest thou speak of this time?"

"You never know." Reborn smirked before jumping on Tsuna's shoulders. "Let's go home."

"Hey – what the – wait a second!" Tsena growled after Reborn, trying to feel more angry than embarrassed. It was lies! There was no way… Yamamoto… liked her… Tsena felt her emotions drop to being a bit depressed. Who was she kidding, anyways? She'd always be that baseball nut's best friend.

* * *

><p>The two Sawadas heard the doorbell ring, causing them to pause what they were doing.<p>

"Oh, hey, they're here." Tsena spoke up, heading downstairs to get the two.

"My! Come in," Nana greeted the two outside the door.

"S-Sorry to intrude!"

"Hello!"

"Hey, Yama-kun, Dera-kun~" Tsena greeted the two as they entered her home, looking at each when she mentioned their names. The two boys returned her greeting and just before Nana closed the door, Tsena thought she saw something. Or rather, some_one_. She tried to think about who she knew with brown hair and eyes, but no one came to mind. Shrugging it off, she led the way to her brother's room.

"Welcome," Tsuna said once she saw the three. The two boys looked around as Tsena stepped in, taking a seat beside her brother.

"Hmmm? So this is Tsuna's room. Looks a lot like Tsena's."

"How would you know what Onee-sama's room looks like?" Gokudera growled, glaring at the baseball nut. "Perverted baseball freak!"

"Huh?" Yamamoto blinked at Gokudera before Reborn cut into their conversation.

"Make yourselves at home," the baby said, to which the two nodded.

"Then we'll go ahead." The two situated themselves around the table, Tsuna and Yamamoto taking out their homework. Together, the four worked on the homework. Whenever one of the two got stuck, mostly when it was Tsuna, Gokudera would jump to help, breaking down the problem and helping to make it understandable. Once Tsena saw how to do the problem, she would turn to Yamamoto and attempt to help. Half the time she managed to do a decent job, the other half, Yamamoto ended up schooling her.

"You're really smart, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna complimented as he smiled at the boy.

"What would be possibly do without you?" Tsena laughed as the silver-head took the compliments with a blush,

"Surprisingly," Yamamoto teased and instantly, Gokudera snapped a comment about him to shut up.

"If it is to train Juudaime to become a great Mafia boss, Gokudera Hayato will do anything!"

"You're too loud," Tsuna mumbled, trying to simmer Gokudera down. Tsena watched as Yamamoto did a problem, flipping his textbook to the right page when he got stuck. He grinned at her before reading the textbook, seeming to understand by the look on his face. Still with a smile, he turned back to the problem and continued to do it. Tsuna, hearing pencil on paper, turned to look at him. He was a bit surprised to see Yamamoto finishing the problem with ease. "Wow…!"

"Hm?" Yamamoto looked up to see Tsuna's amazed expression. He laughed, "Once I read the textbook, I found out it was pretty easy." Gokudera grunted, annoyed, before taking the finished problem and reading it over. To his annoyance, it was right.

"Yama-kun's grades are only bad 'cause he's busy with baseball," Tsena explained as Yamamoto grinned, "He can understand it if he wants to."

"I didn't get question seven, though." Yamamoto took his paper back and looked at the problem. Gokudera barked a laugh.

"You're still an idiot, Yamamoto!" Tsena gave him a slightly annoyed look. "Nee, Juudaime?"

Poor Tsuna looked depressed, "I don't care about question seven; I still don't get half of all this." Gokudera looked at Tsena, who stared at him with half-lidded eyes.

"If you think I'm going to join you on insulting my best friend, you got another thing coming."

"Uh…" The silver-head looked back at Tsuna, seeming to force a smile. "J-Juudaime! You can show your power by solving question seven in no time!" Tsena looked at her brother, who seemed ready to give up. He read the problem out loud, waiting a few seconds, before exclaiming how clueless he was about it. Tsuna threw the paper down and banged his head lightly on the table, Gokudera jumping to cheer his (master) Juudaime up.

"Here's some food!" The door opened to show a dark brown haired girl, her hair tied back in a high ponytail with bangs reaching her left eye. For some reason, she had a purple bandanna tied over her head and under nose.

"E-Eehhh? Why are you here?" Tsuna asked the girl.

"Hm? You know her, Tsuna?" Tsena asked, looking at him.

"I met her this morning…" The boy shuddered as he remembered what happened. Tsena chuckled lightly.

"You just can't seem to catch a break now, can you?"

"I'm making sure that there are no bad influences around Reborn-chan!" The girl glared at Tsuna as if he did something wrong. Tsena raised an eyebrow.

" 'Reborn-chan'?" She repeated, looking at said baby. If anything, it was the other way around.

"Yes! This morning, Reborn-chan said he was a hitman! Obviously, this… this… this…horrible boy has been teaching him bad things!" She turned a bit and hugged herself, speaking in a baby-ish voice. "Babies are angelic, with hearts of purest white!"

'Normal babies, sure, but Reborn-san's anything except normal…'

"He's trying to destroy their sweet purity with his rotten heart!" She turned and jabbed a finger at Tsuna.

"Oi, onna!" Gokudera jumped the gun, glaring at the girl while slamming his hand on the table and standing up. "Just who do you think you are, insulting Juudaime like that?"

"She's Miura Haru –" Reborn stared, before Tsena cut him off.

"Master pedophile – I mean baby obsessionist and stalker." Now that she thought about it, she's seen this girl, Haru, before. Around the neighborhood wherever a baby was around, Haru was there to squeal and drool over it. Haru seemed to ignore what Tsena said for the most part, glaring at Gokudera and serving the four their drinks and snacks. Tsena pulled the silver-head down so he was seated but he still glared at Haru.

"I didn't know you knew someone from Midori Middle School," Yamamoto spoke up, looking at the outfit Haru was wearing.

"It looks cute," Tsena mumbled mindlessly.

"Haha, as if you could get into such a smart school." Tsena twitched, glaring at the boy.

"As if you could."

"But if I did, I wouldn't be able to see you as much, now would I?" Tsena smirked a bit.

"Isn't Midori Middle School a super-hard-to-get-into, prestigious girl's school? Yama-_chan_, do you cross-dress?"

"If you want me to, I could," Yamamoto teased, "I've seen you in my clothes, you look pretty cute dressed as a mini-me!" Tsena twitched at the thought of Yamamoto cross-dressing, before blushing when he mentioned her wearing his clothes.

"H-Hey, Yamamoto! Don't say stuff like that -!"

"You make Onee-sama wear your clothes?" Gokudera shouted, glaring at Yamamoto.

"Nevermind that," Tsuna looked warily at Tsena, "I'm scared to know what else you two do."

"I-It's nothing like that!" Tsena exclaimed, waving her hands around. "Look what you did, Yamamoto!"

"Huh?W hat'd I do?" Haru twitched as she looked at Tsena.

"You… would make him… cross-dress?" She asked as Tsena banged her head against the table, ready to crawl under a rock and die. "Only babies look cute cross-dressing!" Tsena lifted her head to look at her, before dropping it again on the table. Yeah, she really wanted a rock now.

"Of course they do…" Yet another weirdo appears.

"Keeping doing that and you'll start to lose brain cells~"

"I think I'm starting to lose my mind in general."

"Since when did you have one?" Yamamoto laughed as Tsena shot him a look.

"This is all your fault, by the way."

"If you say so~" Of course her best friend didn't particularly care about how he just humiliated herself, or rather, he didn't notice. "Hey, maybe she could solve this problem." Tsuna brightened up a bit as the two turned to look at Haru.

"I understand." The brunette nodded her head, "Then, if I'm able to solve the problem, you will never get involved with Reborn-chan ever again."

"You can't make decisions like that," Tsena mumbled, turned so her cheek was on the desk and she could see Haru.

"Yeah, that's Reborn's choice." Tsuna looked at the baby, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he slurped his soda down with ease.

"Heh, sounds interesting." Gokudera held Tsuna's homework for Haru to see. "If you think you can solve it, then go ahead!"

Haru took the paper and looked the problem over, "I've seen this problem before." Yamamoto scooted over a bit so Tsena could sit next to him, Haru taking her spot next to Tsuna. Tsena placed her head on her hands, watching Haru as she stared at the problem. Minutes turned to hours as they waited, and before they knew it, the sun was down and it was night time. By then, nothing changed. Haru was still staring at the problem with the same determined look on her face from hours before. Sighing, Tsena leaned close to her.

"You actually have no idea what you're doing, don't you?"

Haru gasped and blushed brightly, before admitting defeat. "I'm sorry!" She said, tears forming at the corner of her eyes. "I couldn't do it!"

"What was that, "I can solve it!", you lying girl!" Gokudera growled, annoyed. Yamamoto leaned back on his hands and shifted a bit, brushing against Tsena. She leaned a bit to the side, giving the boy more space.

"Ahaha, I'm fine, don't worry about it." He grinned at her, snaking an arm around her and pulling her to his side. Tsena blushed a bit and looked down at her lap but didn't move. She enjoyed the warmth Yamamoto gave her.

"I never said I could solve it! I said I could see it! And you're calling me a liar…" Haru lowered her head, looking sad and depressed at herself and hurt that Gokudera was accusing things at her.

"Relax, Dera-kun," Tsena mumbled, waving the boy to sit down.

"You shouldn't make her cry," Yamamoto butted in, eyes closed. "It's bad for guys to make girls cry."

"Yeah, Gokudera-kun." Even Tsuna scolded the boy a bit.

"A true mafia member treats a woman with respect." Reborn eyed Tsena and Yamamoto when he said this. Tsena caught the look and blushed, turning her head away from the baby. With a heavy heart (because lord knows how he didn't want to do this), Gokudera turned back to Haru.

"Um… My bad," he apologized to the girl. The window suddenly opened, catching everyone's attention.

"Who are you? I'm Lambo. Who am I? You're Lambo. I'm Lambo~" The cow entered Tsuna's room, singing as he did. He turned around and instantly noticed the exasperated look Gokudera was giving him.

'Read the air, Lambo. Retreat, retreat.' Tsena thought warily as Lambo did just that.

"I, um, only happened to be passing by." That is, until he saw the left over cookies. He jumped on the table with glee, grabbing one and chowing down, "When I eat cookies, I get hyper. After I get hyper, I get sleepy."

"Oh great, just what we need," Tsena mumbled, tilting her head a bit so he rested against Yamamoto's chest, "A hyper cow." Gokudera couldn't agree more. He raised a twitching fist, trying his hardest to hold back from hitting Lambo.

"Kyaaaaa!" Haru squealed, seeming to forget about Gokudera's comments completely. She picked Lambo up and held him to her face, "We meet again! I'm so happy!"

Gokudera's anger turned to confusion as he scratched his head, "I don't get it…"

"Girls are confusing like that!" Yamamoto grinned as Tsena looked up at him with an eyebrow raised.

"You're one to talk." The moon was already high by the time Lambo got over his hyperness and crashed on Tsuna's bed. Gokudera, Haru, Tsena, Tsuna, and Yamamoto turned back to the problem at hand.

"Oh yeah! Since it's a middle school question, an adult should be able to figure it out," Haru reasoned. Everyone seemed to agree with that.

"But it can't just be anyone…" Tsuna said, but Haru already had that figured out.

"I have someone in mind. We were just in the kitchen together."

"The kitchen?" Tsena and Tsuna looked at each other, wondering who it could be. Their mother, maybe?

"She's called Bianchi-san."

"Bianchi!" Tsuna exclaimed.

"Aneki?"

At the sound of her name, Tsuna's door began to open. "Here's a midnight snack." Gokudera quickly hurried to the door to shut the lady out. "Let me in."

"Hey." Yamamoto waved a hand in greeting.

"Don't just go along and greet her!" Gokudera glared at Yamamoto. Tsena looked at her brother.

"What's their story?"

"Huh? Oh, uh… Well…" Tsuna's face seemed to blank as he remembered the story Gokudera told him. "Let's just say… Gokudera-kun was forced to eat Bianchi's Poison Cooking more than he should have. That fear somehow branded itself onto him and now, whenever he sees his sister, he gets a stomachache."

"… Ouch."

"Hayato, you're taking the gender of your older sister too much into consideration." Tsena had to smirk at that.

"Haaa… Gokudera, a prude." The boy twitched at that.

"N-No, I'm not!" He finally managed to shut and lock the door, but still looked tensed and unamused.

"Dera-kun's secretly gay."

"AM NOT!" Gokudera didn't like how Tsena was questioning his sexuality, but couldn't bring himself to be angry at his precious Juudaime's sister.

"You guys seem to get along so well." Her best friend, on the other hand, was nothing special.

"No, we don't…." He growled, glaring at him. "Look, she's –" Gokudera was cut off when he felt the doorknob warming up under his hand. He looked to see the iron turning red hot, crying out as he jumped away from it. Tsena watched as the doorknob fell off and the door effortlessly opened, revealing the beautiful dame on the other side.

"So, how do you like my poison cooking? My powerful Dissolving Sakura-mochi." Bianchi smiled at Gokudera, whose stomach started to act up.

"You can do that with poison cooking?"

"Mmm… Mochi sounds yummy right now." They watched as Gokudera fell to the ground, holding his stomach. "Oh, Dera-kun's trauma is acting up." They placed the boy on Tsuna's bed, Tsena going to get a wet washcloth to put on his forehead. Tsena sat at the edge of the bed, looking at Bianchi.

"Since I'm the one who recommended Bianchi-san, if she solves it then I win," Haru said gleefully.

"Don't just make up the rules!"

"Since she lives here, shouldn't Bianchi-san be a 'free for all'?" Tsena joked, before Bianchi's amused little chuckle reached their ears.

"That's right. I don't care about this!" With that, she tore Tsuna's homework to shreds. The poor boy looked traumatized.

"Maa, maa." Yamamoto held him back as he tried to get his homework back from the clutches of evil.

"It has no love." The orchid-head threw the remains with a shrug. "It has nothing to do with me anyway." With that, she turned and walked away.

"My question sheet!" Tsuna was left to stare at the pieces hopelessly.

"Maa, maa. Don't worry, I have a question sheet, too," Yamamoto said from behind Tsuna, trying to help the poor boy remain calm. "You can copy mine." Tsena picked up Yamamoto's homework and read problem seven over. She wondered mindlessly what would have happened if they just, like, duck taped the papers together. After all, nothing in the world couldn't be solved with a little duck tape. Haru looked over the girl's shoulder at the problem.

"Oh right, this question was from a book my dad was reading!" The three turned to look at her before she called her dad. "This is my dad. He's a university math professor," Haru introduced her father, handing him the paper to read the problem.

"You could've called him in the first place."

"I know, right. Save us time."

"There's no problem with you not being able to solve this question," Haru's father spoke up, looking at the teenagers, "This is a very hard, university-level question."

"So it's a trap than," Tsena mumbled, wondering why their teacher gave the boys such a difficult problem.

"You cannot prove this because it cannot happen."

"Really?"

"Yes. Even as a university professor, I cannot prove it."

"No, it can be proven." For once that night, Reborn spoke up. "What if, at first, the papers had glue on them. When they fell, the glue would make the papers stick together." Tsena laughed at Reborn's sense of reason. It was just like hers, just instead of duck tape, it was glue!

"Those sideburns... Y-You must be…" Tsena had to wonder why Haru's father was looking at Reborn with such awe.

"Otou-san, do you know Reborn-chan?" Haru asked, also confused.

"Reborn? That isn't his name. His name is… Boreen!"

"Hm?" Tsena looked at him, then up at the ceiling.

"He makes rare appearances in the scientific community. He never fails to solve problems that were deemed impossible! The genius mathematician, Professor Boreen!"

"Seriously?" Tsuna asked, but the baby was already sound asleep.

"Well, it _is_ kinda late…"

"He was just talking in his sleep. He's still just a baby, after all."

"Yeah, guess that's true." Tsena looked at Reborn, "Too little sleep can be your worst enemy."

"Okay then, Reborn-chan, you can come live at my house." Haru walked over to Reborn, ready to take him away. Before she could touch him, though, Reborn's nose bubble popped and the hitman was awake.

"I'm the one who ended up solving it. This match is a tie." Haru whined and puffed out her cheek, admitting defeat. "I'll just tell you, until I make Tsuna a great 10th generation Mafia boss, I cannot depart this house."

"Haha, Tsuna, a boss."

"S-Shut up about that, you!" Tsuna glared at his sister who was snickering.

* * *

><p>"Geez, why do I have to meet you first thing in the morning?"<p>

"Ahahaha, well, our houses are the same way to school."

"That doesn't explain why Onee-sama's here with you!"

"We always walk to school together. Just this morning, Yama-kun forgot something at home."

"That's not what I mean!" Gokudera glared at Yamamoto, who just laughed as Tsena gave a lazy smile.

"W-W-Wait!"

"Arguing is useless!" The trio looked to see Tsuna being chased by a samurai with a hockey stick.

"… Well, what do you know? First thing in the morning and the weirdo's descend."

"Juudaime?"

"Tsuna?"

"Stop chasing me!"

"Hold still!"

"That sounds like Haru." Tsena lead the way, the two boys following.

"I'm not going to become a Mafia boss!"

"So you really are just toying with Reborn-chan!"

"Why can't you save this stuff for later, Haru? It's too early in the morning for this!" Tsena called from behind the two. Just then, she saw something from the corner of her eye and gasped. Gokudera had just thrown dynamites over in her brother and Haru's direction. "Dera-kun! Why you so reckless?"

"Juudaime, please get out of the way!" The boy shouted at Tsuna. He looked at the three, confused, before Tsena pointed up. He looked and cried out when he saw the dynamites heading right towards him. Tsuna tried to warn Haru, but she wouldn't look. He got out of the way just as the dynamites reached them, causing a veil of smoke to appear around the area. When it cleared, Haru was gone.

"Whoa, what happened?"

"Is everything alright?"

"You're okay, right?" Tsena, Yamamoto, and Gokudera asked, looking at the boy. He was staring over the bridge, mortified.

"No, everything is not alright." He pointed and they looked to see that Haru was… Haru was drowning? "This isn't good. The armor is too heavy! And I can't swim!" Tsuna looked at his friends for helping. "One of you'll have to save her."

"You're going to save her." They looked to see Reborn there with a gun, shooting a Dying Will Bullet at Tsuna.

"I'll save Haru with my Dying Will!" he cried and Tsena had to wonder if he could swim, even in Dying Will mode.

"C'mon, let's head down," Tsena mumbled, nudging Yamamoto and running to the stairs. Gokudera and Yamamoto followed and saw Tsuna had already saved Haru, who had already pulled off the armor.

"I hope you've learned your lesson not to bother Juudaime," Gokudera grunted as Tsena rummaged through Yamamoto's things, pulling out his towel and handing it to Haru. She sat on the ground in a ball, pressing her face to her knees. Tsuna reached into her bag and pulled out her towel for Tsuna.

"A girl shouldn't swing something like that around." No one was sure if what they were saying was even getting through to the girl; she remained quiet. That is, until she snorted a laugh.

"Hold on to me! Raaaaah!" Tsuna twitched as Haru mimicked him, "I'll protect Haru with my dying will!" She was having a ball, though, looking happy as she did so. "I thought only people on TV said cheesy things like that."

"S-She's not sorry at all…" Tsuna couldn't believe it. Tsena had to laugh because now that Haru mentioned it, it was true. Some of the stuff Tsuna said in Dying Will mode sounded so cheesy.

"Tsuna-kun." At the sound of his name, Tsuna looked over and was surprised at who he saw.

"K-Kyoko-chan!"

"What's going on here?" Hana asked, looking around.

"Swimming in the morning? Aren't you cold?" Kyoko asked, looking at the boy.

"Well, no, er… that's… it… there's a reason for this," Tsuna tried to say, but was tongue twisted. Seriously, how do you explain this to someone who doesn't know about the Mafia world? Or without making yourself look like a fool?

"I'll save Haru with my dying will! Raaaah!" Haru was exclaiming this while jumping around, making Tsuna all the more embarrassed.

"If you don't wear something, you'll catch a cold."

"Y-Yeah…"

"Tsuna-san." Tsuna cringed at how close Haru was, "You were… wonderful. Juu-dai-me," she spaced the name out, a blush tinting her cheeks. "It seems I now have a crush on you."

"Huh?" Tsena ignored the two, looking around. She had a feeling that they were being watch. And not watched by anyone, either, it was someone she knew. After all, she's felt this kind of thing before.

'My Hibari senses are tingling.' She looked up, just in time to see said prefect staring down at them. Ha! So she was right! Yay for having Hibari senses!

"Shouldn't you help your brother out, Tsena?" Yamamoto asked, nudging the girl.

"Huh?" Tsena turned back to the two before laughing. "No way! Tsuna's handling it just fine~"

"Juudaime~"

"Why do I have to deal with this?"

* * *

><p>Huh... khr lover has a good point: there <em>is<em> no "tse" in the Japanese language! LOL HOW DID I MISS THIS? XD So that's a fail on my part -A- I should go back and change the name than... Mina does sound nice and yeah, it _is _a combo of their names... Huh... XD

Is Tsena Tsuna's older sister? Well, she _is _older... As for the sister bit, why would I be putting quotation marks around the words indicating they were siblings? Har har har

On the contrary, my friend XD Yamamoto has called Hibari "Hibari-san" a few times *spams looks it up* ... I'll get back at you when I can verify this but I KNOW IVE HEARD HIM SAY IT! ;A;

_IS _Yama-kun too teasing? -A- I think so, too... Huh, I need to plan this story out more better, I guess XD First KHR fic ftw~

... A herbivore _is _a plant-eating animal, aint it? O_o; I swear, I hear him calling people herbivore -A- idk, maybe yer right X'D Meh, guess I'll change it in a bit -A-

I'm not worried about the review count, dude X'D I dont write to get reviews; I write cuz I like it -A- I was jus like "Why in the hell do I have so many reviews now? O_o;" Srsly, next time, could you put it all in one long arse review or something so I dont die of a heart attack? X'D Paranoia is bad for the soul D: That's why cookies were invented ;o;

So yea, I need to change her name, I guess... Huh, I totally forgot about the dad LOL You jus gave me a new idea, too! XD ftw


	5. Of Senior Students & Senpais

**Ball 4:  
><strong>**Of Senior Students and Senpais  
><strong>

"Sawada Tsena." At the call of her name, Tsena turned her head. It was early in the morning, so early only Yamamoto and herself were in class. Yamamoto's baseball practice had been canceled that morning and with nothing to do, the two decided to lounge around their classroom. She didn't think it was against the rules to do so. Hibari's steely gaze peered into hers. He turned his torso and nudged his head to the side, indicating she should follow. Tsena looked at Yamamoto, confused, before shrugging. She slid off the desk and followed her senpai, Yamamoto staring after her.

The boy hummed lowly, pouting as the two left. He counted to three before getting up and following after them. He stopped at the door, watching his best friend interact with Hibari. Apparently Hibari was getting Tsena to mess with the speakers. The girl was on a ladder, grumbling something to the prefect, who was leaning against a wall behind the ladder, smirking.

"Why am I doing this again, Hibari-san?" Yamamoto heard Tsena ask, a bit exasperated.

"Because I said so." Was Hibari's simple answer, giving her a lazy look. Tsena puffed out her cheeks and huffed, pulling out two wires. Something sparked and scared the girl, because with a yelp, she jumped backwards. Yamamoto's eyes widened as he jumped into action, but froze when Hibari beat him to it. With ease, the prefect caught the girl in his arms, a bored and slightly amused look on his face.

"Uh… th-thanks…" Tsena mumbled, a ting of pink dusting her face.

"I should have let you fall." With that, the prefect dropped the girl ungracefully on her bum. Tsena whined as she climbed to her feet, rubbing her rear end. "You're heavy, you know."

"…" Tsena's eyebrow twitched as she tried not to glare at her senpai, lease she be bitten to death. Yamamoto frowned, feeling something stirring in his stomach. What was this familiar sensation? He felt it every time Tsena was with a different guy, and especially when the two friends were so close to one another. Something urging him to act, to go on his instincts… To keep the girl close to where she was his and his only.

Yamamoto shook his head, casting such thoughts out. What was he thinking, anyway? Tsena was just his best friend, that's all! So why was it he suddenly had the urge to steal back his friend from his senpai? With a sigh, the baseball nut dropped into his seat. He leaned back, staring outside the window. Tsena was confusing, he concluded. He was just a bit possessive because they were close, that's all. He didn't want his best friend to get hurt.

"Hey, Takeshi~" Yamamoto's nose twitched at the sickly sweet scent. He looked ahead of him, seeing his beautiful (as he's heard most guys describe her) senpai. She smiled at him, her bright green eyes narrowed in a manner that made his stomach do twists, lifting a hand to brush her sandy locks off her shoulder. She better fitted herself on his desk, crossing her legs one thigh over the other, her already short skirt hiking up a little too much. She leaned most of her weight on her hand, seeming to hover over Yamamoto.

The wheel's in the boy's mind slowly started to churn as he pondered something. When he finally reached a conclusion, he smiled his usually innocent smile at the girl and laughed a greeting. He wanted to test something.

* * *

><p>Gokudera couldn't help but yawn as he set his finished bento down. Yamamoto yawned as he leaned back on his arms, watching with lazy interest as Tsena yawned, too. Tsena caught him looking at her and blinked.<p>

"Yes?"

"Nothing," Yamamoto tilted his head, looking at Tsena thoughtfully, "You just look cute when you yawn." Tsena's face turned beat red as she ducked into her scarf. What was he spouting now all of a sudden?

"Why were you yawning?" Tsuna chuckled, smiling at each of his friends.

"He was imitating me," Gokudera accused, glaring at Yamamoto.

"Was not," Yamamoto laughed as he took his eyes off Tsena to look at Gokudera, "I was bored so it just came out."

"I yawned 'cause yawning is contagious~" Tsena chirped, feeling ready to yawn again at the mere thought of the word. She watched lazily as Gokudera tried to start a fight with Yamamoto, yawning as she rested her head on her best friend's shoulder. The raven-head tuned Gokudera out, resting his head against the girl's. The gray-head noticed because he soon started to yell about Yamamoto being a pervert, going as far as to get his dynamites out. Tsuna quickly told him to calm down and just like that, it was over.

"If Juudaime says so. Still, though, it really is boring." Gokudera frowned, looking up at the sky as he leaned against the fence, "Is there really nothing interesting around here?"

"Welcome to Namimori, my friend," Tsena mumbled smartly, cuddling closer to Yamamoto. She stiffened another yawn, feeling drowsy. Yamamoto's chuckle rumbled in his chest and shook his shoulder slightly.

"Tired?" He nearly whispered against her head, turning to look at her. Tsena nodded her head softly, closing her eyes. "Get some sleep than."

She didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

><p>The sudden jerk caused the turquoise-head to jolt up. "What the…?" She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stared around. What was she doing in Reception Room, anyway? And why were members of the Discipline Committee glaring at her like that? "Uhh… Whatever it is, I did not do it."<p>

"You there, what are you doing here?" One asked, glaring at Vongolas. Tsena looked across from her to see Tsuna sleeping on a couch, Gokudera at the head of it and Yamamoto was leaning over the back of her couch.

"Who told you to come here?" The two boys didn't seem to take the intrusion well – on both sides.

"Huh? What do you want?" Gokudera grunted, glaring at them.

"Don't act cocky." Suddenly, more members appeared, walking forward and looking ready to fight.

"This room was given to us, the Discipline Committee."

"Who the hell is this?" A member asked, kicking the couch Tsuna was on. Gokudera was quick to defend his sleeping 10th. He marched up to the member, getting in his face.

"I don't care that you're some Discipline Committee. You're going to bite the dust."

"_What_?" To say he was outraged would be an understatement.

"You're an eyesore. Get the hell out." Tsena had to laugh a little. Gokudera's bluntness was both admirable and stupid. The member reached to grab Gokudera, but the gray-head easily avoided the gesture, holding his other hand out looking ready to punch him. The other guy stepped back, growing angry(ier?).

"This guy…"

"Trying to defy a Discipline Committee member…!" Another stepped forward and tried to punch Gokudera, but he slid to the side and sent a fist of his own flying for the guy's face. At the same time a different one ran forward at the gray-head's side. Gokudera saw him and punched him in the face, too. Yamamoto sighed, looking at Tsena. The girl shrugged before yelping as a member tried to hit her.

"Oh wow seriously?" She growled, glaring at the guy. She reeled back on her side, leaning on one hand, as she threw back a kick. The guy grunted as it connected with his stomach, falling to his knees. Another one came at her and she spun around, kicking him too. "Geez, what'd I do?"

"Yare, yare," Yamamoto sighed as the girl stood up, glaring heatedly at the members, "It can't be helped."

"Stupid brat!" Three charged at Tsena, one with a mop. The girl managed to take two, falling short on the one with the mop. Yamamoto hurried forward and grabbed it just as it was about to connect with Tsena's head.

"Mops are for cleaning," the baseball nut said smartly, jerking it out of the guy's grasp and punching him with his other hand. Meanwhile, Reborn was making coffee in the background. He glanced over at the three, smirking a little as he watched.

'Tsena and Yamamoto work well together…' In truth they did, because when one was occupied the other had their back. He turned back to his coffee, ignoring the sounds of the fighting around him. When it was silent, he turned back.

"Are you done?"

"Hm?" The trio turned to him, ignoring the unconscious bodies behind them. "Yeah." Gokudera glared at Yamamoto, saying he wasn't needed. Yamamoto just laughed, cockily saying it looked like he needed help. Tsena just sighed, straightening her skirt.

"Been a long while since I fought like that." She stretched her arm across her chest, still feeling the adrenaline. Yamamoto looked at her and laughed dryly.

"Since you first started school, right?" He remembered those days. Yamamoto couldn't help the grimace as he rubbed his head thoughtfully as he thought back. Yeah, how could he forget?

"Onee-sama fights?" Tsena smiled secretively at the gray-head.

"Should've seen me way back in the day." There was a hint in her voice, implying something unknown to the boys. No one caught on to it – well, no one but a certain Mafia baby. He eyed the girl suspiciously, before a grunt from the door distracted and caught their attention.

"These watchdogs are useless." Tsena and Yamamoto tensed slightly, knowing and having witnessing the term of "being bitten to death" by the skylark at the door. Hibari gazed at them uninterested, barely casting his fallen men a look.

"Hn?" Gokudera stared at the prefect, oblivious.

"He's Hibari Kyoya," Yamamoto explained, eyes never leaving the skylark. The gray-head didn't seem to care much.

"Huh, what? Are you one of these guys?" He stalked over to the prefect, ignoring the baseball nut's cry of his name.

"He's dead." Yamamoto laughed uneasily. They watched as Gokudera confronted the prefect, trying to provoke him. Hibari was unfazed. Instead, the gray-head was surprised when the coffee mug he was holding suddenly broke at the handle, dropping to the ground.

"What the hell is this guy?" Gokudera asked, jumping away.

"Now you've done it. You've angered the beast," Tsena mumbled tactlessly, sighing softly. Well, things were going to turn out violent.

* * *

><p>Needless to say, Gokudera, Tsena, and Yamamoto were bitten to death before they could blink. It started with Gokudera, who barely knew what hit him. Next was Yamamoto, and though he was able to dodge all of Hibari's attacks well, when the prefect mentioned how he was protecting his arm for baseball practice, Hibari managed to one-up him. Lastly, Tsena was forced to deal with him.<p>

_Tsena laughed nervously, holding her arms up. "Can't I just surrender?"_

_Hibari smirked sadistically, "No."_

"_Ehehehe… Thought so…" Hibari advanced on her, loving how Tsena cowarded under him, "Oh gosh, be gentle."_

Or… whatever it is you want to call what she did. Tsena just gave up and let Hibari knock her out. It was less painful that way. It somehow ended with little to no casualties, though, so Tsena wasn't complaining. Of course, what happened next, she could complain and never forget about.

* * *

><p>Tsena stared out the window of her classroom, arms crossed as she frowned. Her classmates filtered out one by one, leaving the girl alone. All day, it's been one weird – mistake? Misunderstanding? Whichever - after another. As she stared out the window, her eyes crossed a pair that made her heart sink. Her best friend, Yamamoto, with the one girl she just couldn't stand.<p>

'Why _her_ of all people, Yama? Why _Aiko-chan_~?' Tsena sneered the name in her mind, annoyed and angry. Aiko, an upper classmate with silky blonde hair and lovely bright green eyes, Aiko, an upper classmate who makes all and every guy lovesick, Aiko, an upper classmate totally infatuated with all things Yamamoto Takeshi-related, Aiko, an upper classmate who hated Tsena.

Tsena watched as Aiko lifted her delicate fingers to her full pink lips, a giggle slipping past those pearly whites of hers, as her dazzling green eyes stared up at the baseball nut with so much love and admiration, it suffocated Tsena and made her scoff. She didn't know Yamamoto, she didn't know _anything_! So _why her_? Oh, how she wanted to strangle her best friend, but lo' and behold, they haven't said a word to each other, not since _she_ started hanging around him. It was always _"Takeshi~"_ this or _"Takeshi~"_ that, or even _"Takeshi, why don't we go somewhere alone~?"_ Oh, that one took the cake, but Yamamoto's reply hurt even more: _"Haha okay! See ya around, Tsena!"_

Ditched. That's the only word Tsena could think of – well, the only word Tsena wanted to use. Left, forgotten, unwanted – these were other words that came to mind, but Tsena did her best to block them out. She tried to think positively – the two always spent a lot of time together. Maybe a break was needed – but she didn't think it would hurt so much.

"Tsena! You look down TO THE EXTREME!"

"WAHH!" Tsena fell out of her chair, eyes going wide as a pair of gray ones stared into hers. "R-Ryohei-senpai! Why, dear God, do you feel the need to sneak up on me?" The silver-haired turf top held his bandaged hand out for her to take. Tsena rubbed the back of her head and took his hand, him easily lifting the petite girl to her feet.

"So what's wrong, Tsena?"

"Did you need something? You're usually always at Boxing Club at this time around," Tsena changed the subject, watching as Ryohei's mind switched like a flip at the mention of his beloved club and sport.

"Your extreme brother is going to join my club!"

"… What?" Tsuna, in Boxing Club? Tsena wanted to laugh, but couldn't find it in herself to even manage a chortle of some sort.

"Well, he's waiting for me at the gym right now. I was on my way there when I noticed you here by yourself." Ryohei crossed his arms, "You're usually never alone; you always have that friend of yours around."

"Oh, you shouldn't keep Tsuna waiting, huh? You should hurry and go," Tsena tried to sound casual about it, but she really wanted to be alone. Ryohei seemed to catch the hint, judging by the frown on his face.

"Well, you do have a point. Sure you don't want to come?"

"I'm fine, Ryohei-senpai. Have fun…"

"After I get Sawada to join, I'm coming after you next! To the extreme!" Ryohei punched the air, racing out the door. Tsena shook her head, calling after him.

"Yeah, right, Senpai! You got a better chance of Tsuna joining before I do! And _that_'s 'too the extreme'~"

* * *

><p>Tsena had to wonder how he kept ending up in such situations. First. She was minding her own business when she was discovered by Hana and Kyoko. Next, the three were surrounded, and now they stood at the doors of the Boxing Club.<p>

"Something horrible has happened!" Hana shouted, racing in.

'Oh boy…' Tsena sighed, frowning. Where Tsuna was, Yamamoto was sure to be there, too, and at the moment, the girl really didn't want to see him.

"What is it?" She heard Ryohei's voice, before slowly walking in after Hana.

"The Karate Club took Kyoko." Tsena sweatdropped. 'Took'? That's sort of the wrong word to use, actually.

"What?"

"Kyoko-chan!"

"What is it? Did something happen?" As if on cue, Kyoko appeared at the door. Following her was Namimori's Karate Club, with the club leader's older brother in toe. Apparently they wanted… revenge? No, it was too innocent to be revenge. They wanted a rematch against Ryohei and if he lost, Kyoko would be forced to join the Karate Club as the manager.

"Even back when I was here, the Karate Club has just been full of sweaty guys. Howlong do you think we've wanted a flower-like female manager?" The two brothers hugged and cried as they said this, looking at Tsena. "It's rare for a girl to be so involved with sports, but Sawada-chan refuses to join the Karate Club."

"That's because I'm in kendo…" She mumbled, scratching her cheek. From across the room, Yamamoto laughed.

"That's true, that's true. And if she wasn't, I'd make her join Baseball Club with me!" He grinned at the girl, who snorted and turned her head.

"Who do you think you are, telling me what to do?" She hissed out, not at all trying to sound as cold as she did. Yamamoto flinched, as did most people in the room. So much venom was put in her words, and nobody knew why. Before Tsena knew it, she was once again in a fight. Despite how the Karate Club wanted her on their side, they charged at her. The turquoise-head easily dealt with them and from the corner of her eye, saw Yamamoto. He was fighting without even hurtng his opponent. She scoffed and turned her head, sneaking out of the area.

She missed how Yamamoto stared after her longingly. Did he really screw up that badly?

* * *

><p>"… WHAT, TSUNA?" Tsena snapped, annoyed as her brother continued to gap at her.<p>

"N-NOTHING!" Tsuna shouted, waving his arms around. "It's just… so rare for you to be walking home with me and not Yamamoto…" In fact, Tsuna's noticed how little amount of time Tsena shared with her best friend. Were they on fighting terms? He wondered but every time the brunet tried to ask, he got frightened from the scary look she would give him at the mention of her (ex?)best friend's name… much like she was doing right now. The look disappeared, though, when Tsena noticed something. Tsuna looked forward and was shocked to see so many vicious-looking men in tuxedos outside their house.

With a cry, he fell backwards out of fright. Tsena scoffed at him, staring at the men suspiciously. To their surprise, they welcomed the two, "Welcome home, Master Sawada Tsunayoshi. Good day, Mistress Sawada Tsena." The men cleared the way and formed two lines, smiling at them. "Go ahead." Tsuna was quick to bolt it in the house, Tsena following at a more slower pace.

"Welcome home, Tsu-kun, Tse-chan," Nana greeted the two, poking her head out from the kitchen, "We have a guest."

"Ehhh?" The two siblings shared a look, before walking up to Tsuna's room. "Reborn! What did you do now?" Tsuna demanded, opening his door. He faltered, though, stepping back and behind Tsena as she walked in.

"Hm?" Two of those scary men in tuxedos were in Tsuna's room, eyeing them out.

"They're in the house too!"

"We've been waiting, you two," Reborn said calmly, turning his head to look at the Sawadas.

"Sorry for the wait. Here we are." Tsena held out her arms to make her point, though there was no humor in her voice. She rested a hand on her hip, "So what's all this about?" She spoke blankly, as if she didn't particularly care. Reborn frowned at her attitude, before a new voice was heard.

"Yo, head of the Vongola." Tsena turned to look at the black chair, it's back to them. "I've come all the way from Italy to visit." The chair swerved around to reveal a young man. "I'm the 10th-Generation Boss of the Cavallone Family. My name is Dino."

"Cavallone… as in _Mafia_?" Tsuna was tired of these weirdoes. Tsena just wanted to sleep.

"Well than, Dino-san," Tsena mumbled, waving a hand in greeting, "Uh, ciao, I believe it is. I'm Tsena, have fun talking about Boss Mafia stuff with Juudaime here. I'm going to bed." The blonde man, Dino, looked a bit surprised that Tsena waved him off so easily. She walked out of the room, heading to hers. She hated how empty she felt.

"Dame-Tsuna, what's wrong with Tsena?" Reborn asked, looking at the brunet. Tsuna looked away from the Mafia Boss in his room to the baby.

"Uh, well…" Tsuna rubbed the back of his head, unsure of how to reply. "I don't know, actually, but…" Tsuna frowned, looking at where Tsena disappeared to,, "this is exactly how she acted when she first got here…"

"What do you mean?"

"You know, unenergetic, distant, uninterested –"

"I mean what do you mean, "when she first got here"?" The baby specified, eyeing his student. Tsuna blinked his eyes, looking at the baby.

"I thought you knew, Reborn. Tsena's not really my sister."

* * *

><p>LOL I CHANGED HOW TSENA'S LOOKS :D SHE LOOKS LIKE FRAN NOW (sort of) LOL I fail, lemme alone -A-<p> 


	6. New Definition To The World Brainless

I POST'D'D, AKI-CHAN, YER TURN D8

**P.S.** Can you _tell_ where Tek-Tek's brain stopped working, where she was suffering brain farts, and where she was suffering from emotional drama? I can - and it's not pretty. Love the OOCness, from both OC _and _Canon Char

**P.P.S.** Disclaimer on main page OTL

**P.P.S.S.** I love you, Aki-chan ;A;

**P.P.P.S.S.** I love everyone who reviews, too c:

**P.P.P.S.S.S.** Can you _tell_ I'm a dork? I can -A-

* * *

><p><strong>Ball 5:<br>****New Definition To The World "Brainless"**

She couldn't remember the last time she felt so empty, so cold, so alone. Oh wait, she could – since before she met Yamamoto. The baseball nut helped her through those times when she thought she was alone, gave her something to believe in – some_one_ to believe in. Was it really okay for her to trust so much in one person?

Tsena curled into a ball under her covers, closing her eyes as she sighed. The sun was going down when there was a soft knock on her bedroom door. "Tse-chan?" Nana said, gently nudging the door open and sticking her head in. She frowned when she saw Tsena's back to her, facing the wall. "Dinner is almost ready, Tse-chan. Are you going to join us?"

"No, thank you, I'm not hungry."

"Reborn-kun's friend is staying the night. When you find your appetite, come join us, okay?"

" 'Kay…" Tsena buried her head further into her pillow, closing her eyes and drifting asleep.

* * *

><p>"<em>Well, well, what have we here?" She boredly looked up at him, a blank look on her face. He grimaced and sighed, rubbing his head. "You know, blood does not look good on you."<em>

"_Why do you care." It wasn't a question, more like a statement, as she looked around her. "It's not murder, it's self-defense. They started it…" His look grimed even more at how little she seemed to care, so emotionless, so heartless. It was like she was a robot and didn't care that a little girl her age just killed. Well, he supposed it was the usual life in the Mafia; it's either kill or be killed. As his team worked in the background, he kneeled beside the girl._

"_Did you do this by yourself?"_

"_No, there were other people here, too, but they left." She didn't look at him as she stared at the dead bodies. Truth be told, she didn't touch them, didn't lay a finger on them. No, it was all done by one single individual, but she didn't think they would believe her nor care. It was silent before she looked up at him, "Are you going to take me away and lock me up so you can experiment on me, too?" She asked, and he hated how little her eyes showed, how little she cared about herself and what may happen to her._

"_No, never." He frowned, feeling his heart go out to the poor girl. She was so young too, she didn't deserve this. "What did they do to you?"_

"_Something about messing with my touch senses and regeneration process…" She mumbled, looking away. "Stuff happens when I touch people… Well, certain people…" Slowly, hesitatingly, he reached out to her, giving her plenty of time to pull away. When she didn't, he rested his hand on her head._

"_What's your name?"_

"_Nesta." That dead look she was giving him was starting to bug him._

"_Nesta... What would you say if I could take you away from all this and take you somewhere different?"_

"_I'd say you're nuts," She, Nesta, answered bluntly, deadpan look on her face. He had to catch himself from falling over, not expecting the straight forward answer, "But…" He fixed himself up right as she looked at him thoughtfully, a small smile appearing on her face, "Anything is better than this, I guess…"_

_He laughed, liking her smile. Even if it was small and awkward, it was better than nothing._

* * *

><p>Tsena felt annoyed. She glared at the wall opposite of her bed, running a hand through her hair. She pulled lightly at it, growling softly. Her mind was a scramble of different thoughts, her body over-reacting to the different emotions, too many things seemed to be happening at once and all she was doing was sitting! She needed to get out, needed to do something…<p>

She needed to get rid of this empty feeling in her chest, this numbness that was driving her nuts. Something had to make her feel better, _anything_ was better than feeling this!

Tsena threw away her covers and changed out of her clothes, pulling on a white fitted shirt and pants, wrapping her scarf almost chokingly around her neck and replacing her white gloves with some elbow-length leather ones, before she climbed out her window. As she started down the street, she faintly paid attention to where she was going. Everything was a blur of colors and occasional lights as she made sure to stay unseen. As she walked, her mind drifted again, treading on thoughts better left forgotten.

She couldn't help it, though, her mind was thinking for her apparently. As she thought and remembered, she felt something new stir in her stomach. It made her hands clench and her teeth grit together. It made her remember the past.

* * *

><p>He blinked when he heard his house phone go off, calling to his old man that he got it.<p>

"Hello?" He said, ever so cheerfully.

"_Er, Yamamoto?"_ He knew that voice.

"Hm? Tsuna?" Yamamoto blinked, wondering why his classmate was calling him so late in the night.

"_Uh, this might sound weird, but… is Tsena with you?"_ Yamamoto's heart froze.

"… No, she's not," He managed to sound casual about it, laughing airily, "Why, what happened?"

"_Well, she's not home… Kaa-san's starting to worry because it's so late and uhh…"_ There was something in his voice as it trailed off that left Yamamoto uneasy. His usual happy face dropped as he grimaced. Suddenly, he turned serious.

"Let me know if she gets home, okay? I'm gonna go look for her." He hung up without waiting for a reply. "Oyaji! I'm heading out for a bit!"

"What? Takeshi, it's la-"

"Tsena's missing," Yamamoto mumbled, loud enough for his dad to hear. Whatever Tsuyoshi was going to say died on his lips. He watched as his son quickly changed into loose clothes, something easy to run in, and headed towards the door, slipping on his shoes.

"Takeshi," Yamamoto stopped at the door, turning to look at him. With a surprised grunt, he caught the jacket his dad threw at him. "Forecast called for showers. Be careful." He smiled at the boy, who blinked and wondered why his dad was acting so weird.

"… Ahaha, 'kay. Thanks, Oyaji! I'll be back as soon as possible!" With that, he was out the door. Yamamoto slipped on the jacket as he wondered places Tsena might be at. He remembered the tone of voice Tsuna was using and grimaced again. He had a few places in mind and none made the usually cheery boy happy.

* * *

><p>"<em>Ew, who is that?"<em>

"_Oh, that's the new girl everyone's talking about?"_

"_What's with her hair? Green is so not in."_

"_I hear she gets into fights a lot and that's why she was kicked out of her old school."_

"_Haha really? Wow, what a delinquent." She ignored them, turning her head to stare up at the sky. At the call of her name, though, she was up and ready to bat._

"_Yamamoto, at least _try_ to take it easy!"_

"_Ahahaha, will do, will do~" She stared blankly at her pitcher, who had an easy-going grin on his face and eyes that seemed to be so full of energy and life. Her eyes narrowed. This guy annoyed her already. But suddenly, the look was replaced by a serious one. He threw his arm back and flew the ball at her hard and fast, so fast it was barely noticeable. She smirked, though, not really looking at the ball. To her, baseball wasn't about "hitting a ball" or "keeping an eye on it". No, to her, baseball was all about instincts._

_To the surprise of her classmates, she swung the bat almost gracefully and smacked the ball just as hard, sending it flying for a homerun. Still smirking, she leisurely walked her bases, in no rush at all. Her pitcher's eyes widened as he stared at her, amazed. Her teammates stared at her, too, looking at her in a new light. Once she managed her bases, she leaned against the wall behind her classmates and closed her eyes. School life was boring, she concluded. There was no excitement, no real terror, no threat of death anywhere._

_A soft sigh left her lips. Oddly, she was content with it._

* * *

><p>Tsena's fist collided with her enemy's, jumping out of the way of another. Four against one was hardly fair, especially when there was a fifth coming. She glared at the older kids. She recognized them: they were some slacker upper classmen that liked to skip class. Her eyes narrowed even more as she sneered. They started it; they're the ones who pissed her off. Their stupid looks, stupid attitudes, their stupid… everything! As they growled and snapped at her, calling her all the names in the book to try and provoke her, Tsena stood her ground.<p>

She was outnumbered but she didn't care. The bruises would fade, the cuts would turn into scars, the hurt would dull itself, but still,_ why was that damn empty feeling still clawing at her?_ It scratched at her stomach, touching her heart and sending her brain hay-wires.

'Make it go away.' Tsena bunched her eyes shut tightly, gritting her teeth, 'Make it stop! I don't care if he's with her, I don't care if he's not around! I can live without him! I… can live… without him…' She hated it. How could she reply to heavily on him? How could he just crush her like this? _Why was he doing this to her?_ _Why did she even _care_ so much_?

She heard them coming, felt the ground shake slightly as they ran at her. She didn't move. She let them come, she _let_ them grab her arms, she _let_ them punch and kick her. She didn't care, the pain was welcoming, it helped her feed at peace. She closed her eyes and couldn't help the low chuckle that escaped. This was nothing, she's had worse.

"What's so funny?" One growled, grabbing her hair and yanking it back, making Tsena open her eyes to look at him. The guy's eyes narrowed even more at her blank look. He didn't like it, she was supposed to be in pain! "You think you're so tough, huh? Well, take this!" He reeled his hand back, ready to punch her in the face. Tsena closed her eyes, waiting for the hit and not even flinching when she heard a fist connect with skin… Why didn't she feel any pain? Suddenly, the arms grabbing hers were gone, and with nothing to support her, she fell to her knees. Tsena opened her eyes, staring at the concrete ground below her.

All around her, she heard their grunts and groans as they fell, one by one, to the ground. She felt the rain on her back as it gently fell, trying to cleanse the tainted ground? The blood was intoxicating, it reminded her so much of the past. The rain slowly washed away the blood and as Tsena closed her eyes, feeling so weak and utterly useless, she wished it could take her away, too.

"Tsena?" A voice panted, kneeling in front of her. She didn't look at him, she didn't want to. "Tsena, answer me, please. Are you okay?"

"Why do you care?" She hissed out softly, still refusing to look at him. Tsena literally clawed the hand that grabbed her arm away from her, gritting her teeth and growling.

"Look what they did to you…" Yamamoto sighed softly, reaching forward to brush his thumb against a cut on her face, cupping her cheek in his hand. She hated how warm it was, she hated how her head was tempted to rest in his hand, she _hated how easily she wanted him_.

"Go away." She pushed the feeling away, but didn't move her head. "I don't need you, I don't want you around. Just leave me alone."

"Yare, yare," he sighed, standing up and looking up at the sky, "This won't due…" He knew Tsena was being difficult, he didn't mind. Well, he did, but it was better than her ignoring him, he supposed. With a sigh, he slipped his jacket off and draped it on her. Tsena didn't move and he didn't expect her to. With a sad smile, the raven-head scooped the petite girl in his arms with easy. Tsena turned her head, frown on her face. Yamamoto chuckled as he started to walk. As Tsena pulled his jacket to cover her face, he had to be optimistic.

At least she didn't push him away.

* * *

><p>"<em>What the hell are you looking at?" She glared at them, annoyed. Why did these people always have to try and prove they're better? Why can't they just leave her alone? So what she had green hair, so what she was new, so what she stuck out? So what? They surrounded her, right outside the school, too. Good game, where's that scary demon of Namimori?<em>

_While she was distracted, one charged forward with a wooden bat, swinging it hard enough to crack and bust against her head. With a cry, she stumbled forward, doubling over and holding the back of her head. His friends laughed and laughed at her, thinking it was over. They were shocked when she straightened her back, blood dropping from her head and onto the ground._

"_You know that was my head, right?" She growled slowly, "You know that could've killed me, right? So that means, you tried to kill me, right?" She clenched her fists, the guys around her shaking in fear at the murderous aura surrounding her, "So you can't blame me for what happens next, right?" She turned to them, demonic grin on her face as blood fell over her eyes and down her face. If they thought she was pissed before, they were in for a rude awakening. She was annoyed then, now she was beyond that._

_She picked up what was left of the baseball bat and ran at the guy, slamming it against his chin and sending him flying backwards. She noted how the others tensed to fight and she beat them to it. She grabbed one by the collar and slammed him down to the ground, picking him up by the back of his shirt and tossing him on a pile on top of two of his other friends. She ducked down as one tried to punch her head, upper cutting him and side stepping as another came at her from the side. She held her foot out for him to trip over, using the same foot to kick someone in the gut._

"_Sawada!" Someone called her name but she ignored them. Instead, she favored the guy approaching her. She headbutted him and kicked him in the stomach, sending him backwards. To her annoyance, they kept coming at her. She could go all day, honestly she could, she was raised to keep fighting and to not lose or back down, but all that disappeared when someone appeared by her side, punching a guy in the face and taking three down with ease._

"_You look like you could use some help, Sawada!" The guy grinned at her, catching a boy in a headlock and tossing him aside to collide with their friends. She stared at him, wondering why in the world he was helping her. What did this baseball freak want from her?_

* * *

><p>"Haha, you don't change much, do you? Still getting into trouble." He tried to sound airy and cheerful, but the dull look in Tsena's eyes was driving him nuts. His heart clenched as she wordlessly let him patch her up. It wasn't anything too bad or serious – after all, Yamamoto's seen worse when it comes to his friend – but geez, the boy had to wondering. "What made you do this?" He finally sighed out, sitting beside the girl on his bed.<p>

"… Why did you help?"

"Hm?" Yamamoto blinked his eyes, surprised to hear her ask that. "Why did I… Why _wouldn't_ I? Tsena, you're my -!"

"Before, when you didn't know anything about me, you helped." Tsena cut him off, staring at his floor, "You got into a fight with a stranger, got suspended because of this stranger, and randomly befriend that stranger. Why?"

She was asking why Yamamoto helped her so long ago? "Easy. It's because you were different."

"What?" Tsena blinked her eyes, confusion showing as she looked at him.

"Ahaha, you stood out from everyone else." He grinned at her, "It was… what's the right word…?" His eyes knitted together as he thought, frown on his face. Tsena raised an eyebrow. "Interesting, I guess," he finally answered, dropping the look in place for a smile, "You were interesting, Tsena, from the first day we met to now."

Interesting? He thought she was interesting? If she was so interesting, why wasn't he interested anymore? She smiled coldly and scoffed, "Good game." Yamamoto's smile dropped as he suppressed the urge to sigh. He hated when Tsena was so… emotionless like this. He lifted his hand and ruffled her head, chuckling when Tsena swatted his hand away.

"Why're you avoiding me?" Tsena almost flinched at the blunt question. She hated when Yamamoto didn't beat around the bush at times.

"… Same reason you're ditching me."

"Huh? I'm not ditching you."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are toooooooo."

"Am noooooooot."

"How childish." Tsena shook her head, falling back on his bed and staring up at the ceiling. She felt the bed shift next to her and Yamamoto laid down beside her.

"Is it because of Aiko-senpai?" Tsena grunted softly. Right on the ball. Good job, Yamamoto. He frowned as Tsena's face hardened, "She's just a friend, you know…"

"I know." Doesn't mean she had to like it, right?

"So why so jealous?" Tsena froze. What did he just say? She was… jealous?

"I am _not_ jealous," She ground out, glaring at him. Yamamoto blinked his eyes, before smirking slyly.

"Awww, is Tsena-chan sad because I'm not spending as much time with her?" He cooed, poking her cheek. Tsena growled, grabbing one of his pillows. She sat up and smacked him with it. When Yamamoto tried to defend himself, she rolled over on top of him and shoved the pillow on his face.

"Take it back, _now_!"

"Fine, fine," Yamamoto laughed behind the pillow, grabbing Tsena's wrist and tugging the pillow away from his face, "I'm sorry for spending so little time with you." Tsena twitched.

"Jerk!" She stuffed his face back in the pillow, twitching even more as Yamamoto laughed. He grabbed her wrists again and sat up, sliding the girl down to sit in his lap. Tsena pouted at him, trying for a glare. Yamamoto's small, kind smile made it hard for her to be mad at him, though. Goddamn him. He chuckled as he fiddled with Tsena's fingers, that same damn smile on his face. "What?"

"Nothing." Yamamoto's fingers ran over the soft skin covering her knuckles, "Just remembering a time we were never this close." Tsena's heart skipped a beat. "Haha, you were always so cautious and didn't really trust anyone. I remember getting a few knocks in the head, joking or not, 'cause of what I've said and done."

He remembered. After all, how could he forget? Back then, every time he greeted Tsena, he was questioned as to what he wanted from her or what he was up to. Back then, every attempt at touching the girl resulted in him being thrown over her shoulder. Back then, every attempt at trying to understand the girl was short-lived as her vicious and wicked temper sent him hurling to a world of pain.

Tsena remembered, too. How could she not? This jock, this idol, this baseball freak, every girl's fantasy and every guy's ideal-to-be, wanted to be her, the new kid, the freak with abnormal strength, abnormal hair color, abnormal qualities, friend? Of course she was suspicious, of course she questioned him. After all, what did she have that he possibly wanted?

"Why did you do it?" She asked in a soft voice, curious and hesitant. Did she really want to know the answer? Wasn't she content with how they were now? Why did she have to know why he did it? "Why did you try to be my friend, even after I rejected and hurt you so much?"

"Hm?" Yamamoto tilted his head, blinking his eyes. Why did he want to be her friend? He watched as Tsena lowered her head, clenching the pillow tightly. He frowned, wondering if he actually trusted him. Why, after all these years, was she still questioning him? "Easy… Because I know what it's like to feel utterly alone." That he did. After his mother died, Yamamoto couldn't help but to feel so alone. His father, as much as he tried to help to be, couldn't fill the gap that only belonged to his mother. A child without his mother was horrible, no matter how hard that child's father tried so hard to replace her.

"… So you pitied me." Yamamoto's frown deepened. He sighed, closing his eyes and resting his head on hers. She didn't move away from him.

"I didn't pity you – and I still don't. I wanted to be your friend because I never really had one myself." Tsena didn't blink her eyes; she knew that. She knew Yamamoto didn't really trust anyone like she didn't. Sure, he was cheerful, sure, he was friendly, sure, he was "everybody's friend", but did he really trust any of them? No, he didn't. They only liked him for his good looks, his athletic abilities, for everything but for who he was. So, of course this new girl was going to pipe his interest. She didn't cling to him, didn't try to go out of her way to get his attention, didn't try and win him over. No, she was just herself… and that's what Yamamoto liked about her, about Tsena.

"What's so funny?" Tsena mumbled when he chuckled.

"You never tried to get my attention," he mumbled idly, messing leisurely with a few locks of her hair, "and still, you get it." Another chuckled escaped his lips as Tsena blushed faintly.

"You make it sound like I'm trying now," she grumbled, turning her head.

"Haha, you're not, huh? And still, you get it~" Tsena glared half-heartedly at him, bumping his forehead with hers and staring into his eyes. Her green ones searched his hazel ones, looking for something. Yamamoto smiled as he stared back, relaxing and feeling at peace. His time away from Tsena had been hell, to put it dramatically. Tsena gave him too little credit at times, because he was right on the ball about this one. Her eyes widened a bit as Yamamoto wrapped his arms around her, pulling the girl to him as he laid back down on his bed.

"Y-Yama -?"

"Just… don't move…" He mumbled, closing his eyes and enjoying the moment. A smile tugged at his lips when he felt Tsena relax in his arms and pressed her head to his chest. His best friend sure was brainless at times…

* * *

><p>"Are we done choosing teams?"<p>

"Just one left."

"I'm saying you can have Dame-Tsuna on your team."

"No way! We don't want to lose."

"He was amazing at volleyball but we know he sucks at baseball."

Tsena sighed, crossing her arms. P.E. was always the worst for Tsuna, no matter what. Yamamoto nudged her, before speaking up, "Maa, maa, it's game time! Just join our team, Tsuna."

"Are you serious, Yamamoto? You don't have to let that loser in," a freshman said to him, eyeing Tsena warily, "Just because she said to." Tsena growled. She didn't even say anything!

"Don't be so stringy," Yamamoto chuckled, wrapping an arm around the freshman, "I just have to keep them from hitting, right?"

"Well, if Yamamoto is saying it…" Another one mumbled, before the rest of the team agreed. Tsuna looked dazed as he stared at Yamamoto, before jumping when Tsena poked him.

"Yo, space cadet, come back to earth," she laughed as her brother looked at her, than back at Yamamoto.

"This is a first, though… I've never been accepted into a team. And it's from the freshman who's the baseball team's starter. And he has everyone's full trust and respect… Yamamoto's really amazing."

Tsena looked at Tsuna, than at Yamamoto. He was surrounded by their teammates, looking up at him with admiration, much like Tsuna was doing. A small smile set itself on her face as the baseball nut grinned at everyone. "Yeah, he really is…"

"Did you and Yamamoto make up?" Tsuna asked. That morning when Tsuna woke up, he was mildly surprised to see Tsena gone. Lately, they've been walking to school together, but not this time. At school, he found out why. For some strange reason, he had the urge to go the baseball field, and lo and behold, he found his sister and her (no longer ex?)best friend playing a _friendly_ game. Italics on _friendly_ because that ball was flying around so fast it was barely seeable!

"Whoever said we were arguing?" Tsena huffed, hands on her hips as Tsuna gave her a wary look.

'Than what was that about?'

"_Kaa-san, I'm home…" Tsuna heard a small voice say as the door opened up and footsteps shuffled to the kitchen. Nana was quick on her feet, pulling the girl in for a hug and half-heartedly scolding her for giving the woman a fright. Bianchi, I-Pin, and Lambo were also quick to scold the girl for scaring them all, Reborn commenting how she shouldn't keep the people who cared about her worrying. "I'm sorry, everyone…" Tsuna blinked his eyes, wondering why Tsena seemed so… vulnerable_

"_Maa, Tse-chan, your soaked to the bone! Well, it _is_ raining outside… Did you walk home by yourself?" Tsena shook her head, rubbing her short hair._

"_A friend helped me out of a jam…" After more scolding and apologizing, Tsena started to go upstairs. Still worried something had happened to her, Tsuna followed after her._

"_Ne, Tse –"_

"_Tsuna," Tsena cut him off, her back to him, "Do… Do you hate me…?" Tsuna was shocked to hear her ask this. "I randomly came into your life, a complete stranger living under your roof, sharing the same meals, the same house, the same "mother", life, and everything. Because we live together and we share the same name, people assume we're related. Do you hate me for showing up and intruding on you and your family?"_

_Did he hate her? Did Tsuna hate Tsena, who everyone thinks is her sister? What in the world…? "No," Tsena almost flinched at the incredulous voice Tsuna used, "Tsena, I don't hate you. I could never hate you. Well, maybe when we first met, I did. You scared me, with your temper and you're crazy antics, but you've changed. You're no longer scary or short-tempered; you're kind and tolerant."_

"_I'm… kind and tolerant…" Tsena mulled over what Tsuna said, ignoring his cry of how lame what he said sounded or how he wasn't trying to offend her. "Haha, I guess… living with you and dealing with him, somewhere along the road, I changed…" Tsuna was slightly dazed by the soft, caring smile on Tsena's face, before she apologized for worrying him and for asking the weird question. As Tsena started up the stairs, Tsuna found his voice._

"_E-Even if… we're not related by blood, I still look up to you as a sister, Nesta…" Even though Tsuna didn't know much about Tsena's life before his dad brought her to him and Nana, he knew she suffered greatly, wherever she was. Iemitsu even changed her name so it sounded almost like his, wanting the girl to experience a normal life, even though there was no real character for "tse". He apparently just laughed it off and said it was because Nesta – Tsena – was Italian and not Japanese, so it didn't really matter. Good game, his dad's logic._

"_Thanks, Tsuna. You're not bad, for a dame-otouto."_

He would never understand this girl.

Once the teams were set, the coach called for the game to begin. Yamamoto was up to bat first and without fail, managed a homerun.

"Oh, so sorry~" He grinned, half-heartedly sincere as he ran the bases.

"Pfft! You should use one arm!"

"Haha, I doubt even handicapping him'll cool Yama-kun's jets," Tsena said from the side lines, high-fiving Yamamoto as he passed.

"Nice one, Yamamoto!"

"Yeah!"

"Hail the baseball freak!" Yamamoto bashfully scratched the back of his head, never really used to all the praises. He nodded his head and thanked everyone, standing next to Tsena. Tsuna watched from as the two joked and laughed before punching fists. Tsena picked up a bat and spun around in her hand, standing ready to hit.

"Geez, Tsena can be as bad as Yamamoto at times…"

"What do you expect? They're best friends!"

"Quick! Everyone, back out!" Tsena smirked as the ball was pitched at her. She pulled the bat back, looking ready to smack it with her all. At the last minute, though, she just nudged the ball a bit so it counted, before racing down the bases.

"Ahaha, cheap trick, Tsena!"

"Can't all be good at baseball, you nut!"

* * *

><p>"It's your entire fault, Dame-Tsuna!"<p>

"That's why I didn't want him in the team!"

"Sweep the field by yourself!"

Tsuna dropped his head. They still lost. His teammates weren't joking, either. They passed him a broom and left. Tsuna was all alone on the field, staring at the broom in annoyance. He should just go home.

"Help has arrived~"

Tsuna jumped, surprised, "Y-Yamamoto?" Sure enough, the raven-head was walking towards him with a broom behind his head and between his shoulders. Tsuna looked around, wondering where his sister was. After all, Tsena was never too far from Yamamoto.

"If you're looking for Tsena, she's at kendo practice." Tsuna felt his heart race for some reason. Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he was ever alone with the baseball star. Usually, Tsena was around to balance everything off, but now that she wasn't, it was like pressure was added to Tsuna. Not the kind that suffocated you, but the kind that made you speechless at something so out of your reach.

"Sorry, it was my fault… Just when you let me in to the team…" Tsuna mumbled, sweeping the field and not making eye contact.

"Don't worry about it. It's only P.E.," Yamamoto said, shrugging, "I'm counting on you, my target stock." Tsuna paused and looked at him, wondering what he meant by that. "You've been amazing lately." He grinned at the brunet, "Like in the kendo battle and the volleyball tournament. I've got you checked in my book."

"E-Ehh?" Tsuna jumped a bit, blush on his face. Yamamoto, the greatest athletic of their school, idolizing him, the worst student in history?

"In comparison, I just play baseball like it's all I know."

"W-What? What're you talking about? It's that baseball skill that's amazing!"

"It's not going that well," Yamamoto admitted, sighing a bit. "It feels like something's missing…"

"Huh?" The two boys paused as Yamamoto tried to explain. Yamamoto's face actually dropped to the first frown Tsuna's ever seen. Not the scolding, teasing one he gave Tsena, but a hopeless one much like Tsuna's.

"Lately, no matter how much I practice, my average is dropping and my fielding is screwing up. At this rate, it'll be the first time I don't start since I began playing baseball… Tsena says it's just all in my head and maybe I should just take a little break, but it's not just that. I can feel it; something's wrong." He turned to look at the boy, "Tsuna… what should I do?" Tsuna almost tripped over nothing. Yamamoto was asking _him_ for advice? The raven-head caught Tsuna's look and forced a grin, closing his eyes. "Just kidding. Lately, you're so reliable, so I just…"

Tsuna felt bad for the boy. He's never seen Yamamoto look so down and out of it. He wanted to give some sort of advice, but how could he say that he's just been shot in the head by his baby tutor? Tsuna closed his eyes and forced his brain to work, racking it for some sort of smart advice to give. "I guess… more effort… is the way to go… I think." Yeah, that sounded so great. Good job, Dame-Tsuna.

"Yeah." To his surprise, Yamamoto agreed. "You know, I thought that was it, too. We agree, as I expected." Yamamoto couldn't look more happier, wrapping an arm around Tsuna's shoulders and grinning widely.

"Re-Really?"

"Alright, today I'm remaining here and practicing like hell!" The raven-head laughed out loud, feeling completely at ease and not anxious anymore. Tsuna felt something stir in him as he smiled and laughed with the boy. He actually said something that helped. "Oh, and uhh…"

"Huh?" Tsuna pulled away from Yamamoto as he looked up at him. The boy was looking at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked a bit reluctant.

"Don't tell Tsena I'm practicing," He said, looking at the boy, "I kind of promised her I'd take it slow and pace myself, but I really want to practice. She'd worry if I told her I was going crazy with practice again." Tsuna blinked his eyes. Yamamoto was breaking a promise with Tsena?

* * *

><p>Tsena crossed her arms, frowning and feeling restless. Something was wrong, she just knew it.<p>

'Where is he…?' She looked over at Yamamoto's empty desk, frowning. She tapped her foot against the floor and her fingers against her arm. She couldn't stay still, something was horribly wrong. Yamamoto wasn't there when she was done with her kendo practice, wasn't there to wake her up the next morning, and wasn't at school right now. Just what in the world – Tsena felt a shiver run up her spin. She shot to her feet, looking around. Something… something was very off.

"Hey, everyone!" One of their classmates slammed the door open, looking frantic, "Yamamoto is about to jump off the roof!"

"Yamamoto from our class?"

"Him? That's impossible."

"There are good and bad pranks, you know."

"What…?" Tsena shuddered as she looked at the boy.

"When he stayed after school practicing yesterday, he went too far and broke his arm!" Tsena froze. Her eyes widened and her body turned cold. Yamamoto… broke his arm…? Tsena's stomach churned uneasily as she tried to stay calm. The more she thought about it, the more sense it seemed to make. Yamamoto was always so serious about baseball. And even after he promised to take it easy… That feeling in her stomach grew and soon, she felt her heart start to beat faster.

'He wouldn't…!'

"What the hell was he doing practicing?" She nearly screamed, slamming her fist in the desk (nearly breaking it in half) and clenching her hair with the other one. Dammit, she knew this would happen! Yamamoto always talked about baseball like it was his life, and even said he would die without it. She didn't think he was serious! "Damn yakyu-baka!" Tsena tore off to the roof, pushing and shoving everyone out of her way.

"Hey, Yamamoto, this isn't funny!"

"You're taking it too far!" People around her tried to make sense of the situation, but Yamamoto seemed fit on his decision.

"Sorry, but that's not true. After the baseball god threw me away, I have nothing left." Yamamoto's voice was laced with a tone that made him sound so pathetic, so un-like himself that it made Tsena's heart drop.

"No way…" She mumbled, slowing down as she reached him.

"He's serious?"

"That fence is rusty and might fall apart anytime, too!"

"Tsena, please knock some sense into him!"

"Yeah, Tsena! You're his best friend, don't let him do this!"

"Yama-kun…" Tsena reached for his hand through the fence, touching his fingers with gloved hers. He didn't look at her and only kept his eyes staring down at the ground. "Yamamoto, you jerk! This isn't funny!" Tsena tried to sound angry, to keep her voice from cracking, as she closed her eyes and bit back the tears, "What the hell are you saying? What're you even thinking? Stop it, now!"

"If you came to stop me, it's no use," the boy sighed, though Tsena felt his fingers close around hers. She bit her bottom lip and stared at their hands, hating how she couldn't think of anything to say to comfort him. How could Yamamoto be so stupid? Sure, she knew he was dense, but this was just… unthinkable! Without baseball, he had nothing to live for? Her heart was racing as she tried to think of something.

"No…" She growled, wrapping her free arm around him. "If you think you're jumping because you can't play baseball, then you're taking me with you."

Yamamoto grunted, shaking his head, "Don't be dumb, you have every reason to live. You couldn't possible know what it feels like losing something close to you, having the need to die over failing at everything." Tsena tightened her grip on him.

"Just because you broke your arm, doesn't mean you won't ever get to play baseball again!" Tsena pressed her forehead between his shoulder blades, "You broke your arm, you made a small mistake, it's okay! You're only human…!" Tsena gritted her teeth, "Don't… don't say stupid stuff like you don't have anything to live for, and don't end it all just because you broke your arm… It'll heal and you'll get better, Yama-kun…"

"Tsena…" Yamamoto turned his head to look down at her, frowning. He honestly hated seeing her cry, even more knowing he was the cause of them. He didn't deserve her tears. He turned slightly, just enough to nudge her head with his. "It's okay, Tsena. You'll live without me."

"No… I won't…" The tears fell even more as she moved her hand from around him and touched his cheek, "Takeshi, I'll die without you. If I lose you, then I'll lose my best friend, something close to me. Baseball means to you what you mean to me." Tsena closed her eyes, gritting her teeth to stop the tears. Yamamoto frowned as he watched her, feeling the hand against his cheek reach to the back of his neck and held his head close to hers. Yamamoto closed his eyes, enjoying the moment with a soft sigh.

"You know," Yamamoto whispered, his breath tickling her face and his lips brushing slightly against hers, "this is the first time you've called me by my first name."

Tsena laughed quietly, opening her eyes to look into his, "I'll call you whatever you want, just please, don't do this…" Yamamoto stared into her eyes, feeling something deep inside him. He wanted to do something, say something that'll make her happy. His instincts were trying to get him to do something, and like always, he gave in to them. He nudged his head forward, pressing his lips to hers. Tsena's eyes widened in shock as she shrieked and jumped away, her face the darkest shade of red Yamamoto's ever seen. Unfortunately, the sudden action jerked Yamamoto and caused him to lose his balance. He stared falling backwards and Tsena was quick to grab him.

She tried to stop at the fence, but it unfortunately caved to her weight and caused her fall with him. Tsena screamed, closing her eyes and covering her head. She felt the air rushing around her as she quickly descended. She wouldn't look – she couldn't! Tsena didn't want to die! Arms wrapped around her tense body as she was pulled into a hard chest, someone's chin resting against the top of hers as they held her tightly. Tsena opened her eyes a bit, taking in the scent of Yamamoto and seeing him embracing her. She closed her eyes and fainted in his arms.

* * *

><p>c: <span>khr lover<span>, Yama _will not_ call Hibari just Hibari, he _will_ call Hibari Hibari-san because I _will make_him call him Hibari-san if I so please. No offense, but if it's one thing that ticks me off, is when a stranger tells me how to write my own stories. I know yer proly jus trying to help, but gee, lemme write my own story. Go write yer own where Yama calls Hibari jus Hibari and I'll read and review. Till than, Yama's callin Hibari Hibari-san.

Good game, you mentioned last time there's no "tse" in the Japanese language, but better game, I'm dumb and I do things cuz I wanna. So yea, there's no "tse" in the Japanese language, but rawr, she's Italian and not Japanese *excuse, who cares? Details, who needs em*

I'm not trying to sound mean, but yer wording just rly irked me. Good game, still appreciate the criticism.

I dont think it's weird that you cried, Duckuu X'D Uh, welcome back to reading KHR? :'D It's a very lovely fandom, just full of filers. XD Though, you've proly seen more episodes and read more than me ;A; Fail, Tek-Tek, faaaail.

Thanks, AkaMuzu-chanO_o; That's the first anyone has said anything like that to me X'D I jus try to make my OCs enjoyable and not too Mary-Sueish? Meh, let's face it, any OC with more than, like, 3 good qualities is considered a Mary-Sue in people's eyes x-x; I kinda stopped trying as hard, but as far as I'm concerned, Tsena's a good Mary-Sue c:

Yamakinz aint cold, Aki-chan, he's jus dense and experimental ;A; It's the hormones, I tell you, THEY'RE OUT TO GET US! *... Ignoooooore cuz Tek-Tek so aint sleep deprived* QQ They made up, see? (Tsena: Liar, you're gonna make us fight again in the next chapter -_-;) Hush, you ;A; You'll make up in the end (Tsena: -_-;...) My OCs dont like me ;A; dfgdshgfdjf DONT MAKE BEL SUFFER QQ I LUFF HIM Dx Gosh, I still want Bel fluff ;A; ... ... Oshi, I still need to go work on Dera fluff

Wait, was there anything else confusing beside Tsena's look, Darkened Fire Dragon? I was like, dead tired when I wrote that chapter ;A; I went back and edit'd most of my errors, but I think I missed a few still x-x;

I should stop being a coward and answer reviews... I mean, I should stop being lazy - no that sounds wrong, too... I should just start answering reviews, I guess XD *looks up* Wait, I did. Wait, there's still more reviews to answer. Wait, I need to sleep. Waaaait, brain overload, stop thinking already x-x;

lawlz Good game this story sucks, but eh, it's satisfying in its own way. *If as first you dont succeed, prep the chainsaw*


	7. The Rain's Message

**Ball 6:  
><strong>**The Rain's Message**

Tsena was in a pickle. A very rotten and very bad pickle. Just how in the world was she expected to explain this? She sighed, cradling her injured arm to her chest. This was the reason why she wore gloves, why she didn't let many people touch her, this was the exact reason right here. But she didn't have time to freak out about that right now. Well, the turquoise-head supposed she didn't have much of a choice. She'd have to tell him. Tsena would have to tell Yamamoto the truth about herself and her past.

'But… what if he rejects me?' A strong cold wind stirred around her, ruffling her hair and causing a shiver to run down her back. But honestly, was she shivering because of the wind? With a heavy heart, Tsena slowly shuffled out the nurse's office to find her best friend…

And the moment she found him, her heart shattered into a million pieces.

As Tsena watched with wide eyes, she inhaled sharply, feeling the stinging behind her eyes and wishing they would disappear. Her emotions, she wish she could just cast them aside, lock them up so they didn't hurt her. So _this_ didn't hurt her.

How could he…?

* * *

><p>"Tsena, please! Wait!" The girl ignored his shouting, running as fast and as hard as she could. No, she wouldn't give him time to explain, no she didn't want to know, no she just wanted to be alone. No, this wasn't worth it! As she ran, she ignored the cold sensation of the rain as it fell, ignored how her tears mixed with it as they fell down her face.<p>

Closing her eyes, she saw it. She saw _them_. Her arms around his neck, her body flushed against his, their eyes close, his hands on her waist, their _lips pressed firmly together_. Why? Why did this hurt so much? Why was he toying with her? Why was she standing it? No, she _couldn't_ stand it and she _refused_ to. She didn't like her feelings being toyed with and she'd be _damned_ if she let him toy with her any longer.

"Go away, Yamamoto! I never want to see you again!" Tsena made sure Yamamoto couldn't catch up to her, she pushed whatever she could down behind her, taking sharp turns and cut across yards just to throw him off. She knew, after all, that he could easily catch her. She ran to a corner and without looking, ran across the crosswalk. She failed to notice that the light to cross was red and that there was a car coming right for her. As luck would have it, she slipped on the sleeked ground and fell to her knees. Unable to move, unable to feel anything, Tsena just watched as the headlights of the car got closer and closer on the ground, clenching her hands and waiting for the pain.

She felt arms around her as she was lifted off her knees, rolling until she and whoever was holding her were on the other side of the crosswalk. She sat up, straddling whoever was under her, and blinked. Bright green eyes stared back at her as she tiled her head. "Goku… dera?" She mumbled as the gray-head managed a small awkward smile. He sat up as Tsena got off, climbing to his feet and holding his hand out for her. The turquoise-head took it and Gokudera easily helped her to her feet, before caging her against his body.

Tsena looked up to see him sending a wicked glare. Following the gaze, she felt her heart stop when her eyes saw who he was glaring at. Yamamoto had the saddest look Tsena had ever seen on his face. The mere sight of it made Tsena want to cry even more.

* * *

><p>Gokudera watched as Tsena slowly sipped her tea, waiting with cross arms for an explanation. The two were in a small café, Tsena refusing to look at him as she glanced around. The gray-head sighed softly, his patience running thin.<p>

"So, you like the baseball idiot, right?" He asked bluntly, watching as Tsena choked on her drink.

"W-What? No! I-I mean, yeah, he's my best friend, but I don't _like_ him…" Tsena trailed off as Gokudera gave her a look.

"I just said 'like'. If the first thing you thought of was _liking_ him, than yeah, you _like_ him." Tsena fought down the blush at being caught. She sipped her drink slowly, trying to think of a reply. When nothing came to mind, she just sighed.

"Is it really that obvious?" She grumbled quietly, staring down at her tea.

"You just admitted it, so yeah." Tsena twitched.

"You… You tricked me!" She exclaimed quietly, pointing an accusing finger at the bomber, "That's mean, you shouldn't do that!"

"Don't sound like a kid about it," Gokudera scoffed as Tsena glared at him. "… You should know, everyone's talking about the rooftop incident." Tsena's glare died as a blush touched her cheeks.

"Y-You mean…"

"Yeah." Tsena turned even more red, feeling at a loss of words and unsure how to react. Should she deny it? But what if Yamamoto was hurt? Wait, but doesn't he like Aiko? But…

"He kissed me..."

Gokudera sighed, "He likes you, too. Why else would he kiss you?" Tsena didn't answer. Instead, she stared down at her tea, her mind a blur of different thoughts. The gray-head stood up and said his farewells before leaving. Tsena barely noticed.

* * *

><p>Tsena had to wonder how this happened to her. One minute she was walking home, the next, a crying Lambo came out of nowhere with his bazooka in hand and somehow managed to knock into Tsena. Before she knew it, the bazooka was falling over her head and there was a loud <em>BOOM!<em>

The turquoise-head blinked her eyes, staring at the male across from her. He looked familiar, with his spiky black hair and tanned face, the only flaw being the scar on his chin. He was wearing a nice black yukata with pale white flower imprints and a blue sash around his waist, and as Tsena stared at the man curiously and slightly awed, he turned his head and stared at her.

Honey-golden eyes… Oh gosh, she would.

"Ya-Yamamoto?" She stuttered out, not believing this dashingly handsome man in front of her was the same dorky loser she was so used to seeing.

"Hm?" Yamamoto blinked his eyes, taking in her appearance, "Well, you're not my sweet dove…" Tsena's face turned bright red as he said this, examining her with his head tilted (cutely) to the side, "Well, you are but my Tsena wouldn't call me Yamamoto." He broke out in a grin, as if what he said was a perfectly normal answer.

"W-What?" Tsena jumped to her feet, nearly knocking over the small table between the two. Yamamoto watched her reaction with amusement in his eyes, chuckling quietly as Tsena quickly fell to her knees to straighten the table. Hearing the noise he made, her face glowed even more with color as she looked to her right, distracting herself. Tsena noticed that the two were in an old-styled Japanese room, the door open to reveal a bamboo garden of some sort. "W-Where am I…?"

"I'm guessing, since you look the same as you did ten years ago, Lambo used the 10-Year-Bazooka on you."

"O-Oh…" Tsena folded her legs under her and sat back on her calves, staring at her lap. Well, this wasn't awkward. Even without looking at him, Tsena knew Yamamoto was watching her. She could feel his eyes on her, taking in her shivering pale body, her wet clothes sticking to her petite figure, before noticing her broken arm. Something clicked in his mind, causing his eyes to widen slightly in realization as his mouth opened to a small 'O'.

"Haha…" He scratched the back of his head, remembering perfectly what happened those days. "To be young and naïve again."

"Hm?" Tsena looked up at him, seeing the male's eyes on her arm. Tsena grimaced slightly and held her arm protectively to her chest.

"I know." Was all he said. Tsena's heard skipped a beat as she slowly lowered her hand, staring at her broken arm. She remembered clearly the pain that shot through her when Yamamoto's lips touched hers, causing her to shriek and pull away. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the kiss – it was the opposite, she actually yearned for another one from her crush – but he didn't know just how bad skin contact was when it came to his best friend. Before she knew it, Tsena was spilling her guts to her ten-year-older-version of her best friend, about how her Yamamoto started acting weird, how Aiko came between the two friends, how he saved her from those upper classmates, and everything. She was telling it as if Yamamoto didn't know but he didn't complain. The raven-head nodded his head and listened without interrupting.

"So yeah, you're an idiot," Tsena finished off, pouting and refusing to cry. Sure, she felt the tears prickling at the corner of her eyes, but for some reason they didn't fall. Yes, she felt betrayed, hurt, and utterly alone, but that didn't seem to be enough, even though she was telling everything to him, to the one who made her feel so strange in her own body. Even if he was ten-years-older, he was still Yamamoto, right?

"You know, it was never my intention of hurting you," Yamamoto mumbled sincerely, his eyes meeting hers. Tsena's heart jumped as he said this, the look in his eyes nearly causing her to cry. She bit her lip though and managed to smile awkwardly at him, giving no reply.

* * *

><p>Yamamoto didn't know why she looked so familiar, or why he did it, but he found himself following this strange woman.<p>

It started when a bright pink puff of smoke caught his attention, and when it cleared, this young lady with short scruffy sea-foam hair, long bangs framing her face, was there, her matching eyes showing their confusion. She hummed, folding her arms into the sleeves of her pale white yukata, the edges a faded green color with a dark green sash around her middle.

The raven-head had to stare, wondering why she seemed so familiar. And as the woman turned her green eyes to him, a smirk lit up her pale face. Confused and allured by it, he watched as the woman slowly walked away from him, her eyes still meeting his. His feet acted on their own, curving around corners and weeding through crowds. It was when after she jumped the fence to Namimori's public pool that there was another puff of pink smoke. Yamamoto quickly hopped the fence, in time for his honey gaze to meet pale green ones.

Tsena's eyes met Yamamoto's, confused and wondering why she was falling. It was when her body splashed into water that her mind went into haywires. Water, oh how she hated it. Tsena screamed, even though it was stupid, panicking as she struggled to reach for the surface. Water, it reminded her of back then. Those test tubes and that large tank they shoved and stuffed her in, their experiments, their needles, the liquid, all the _water that surrounded her_.

She felt like she was choking, suffocating, but as suddenly as she felt it, it was gone. In its place was warmth and a beating heart. Yamamoto sat back beside the pool, holding a panicking Tsena against his chest. He watched as Tsena's breath came out in fast and short pants, her eyes wide with terror, her body shaking as her fists clenched his shirt tightly and her teeth chattered. He frowned. Never before has he ever seen his best friend so terrorized.

"Hey, c'mon, Tsena, it's okay," he whispered softly in her ear, brushing her hair and running his fingers through it, trying to sooth the poor girl. It took awhile, but slowly, Tsena's trembling stilled to where only here hands were shaking. Gently, Yamamoto stood up, bringing the girl up with him. Tsena's one good arm wrapped around his neck, her face in his chest as she refused to look at him, but Yamamoto didn't mind. He chuckled softly and ran his fingers through her hair. Even through the rain and pool water, Yamamoto could see the tears in her eyes.

He knew his best friend had a tendency to hide how she really felt, especially when she wanted to cry or show any sort of "weakness", as she called it. He kneeled down and, for the second time that week, scooped Tsena up in his arms. Tsena shifted in them, staring at her chest with a childish pout on her face. He was mildly surprised when Tsena's hand reached for his hair and ran through it, her head against his chest, ear to his heart.

It was silent as Yamamoto carried Tsena, but he didn't mind. He enjoyed the feeling of his slightly rapid heartbeat, knowing it was because of her, her cheek rubbing against his chest every so often, how her hands fiddled nervously in his hair, all of it. He enjoyed the feeling of Tsena's body against his and her fingers in his hair, how nervous she seemed and embarrassed at the same time, wishing it could always be like this. Quiet and peaceful with no hurt, no anger, no sorrow, just him and Tsena. The sun was already setting when he reached his house and Tsena's teeth were chattering again from how cold it was.

"Oyaji, I'm home~" He called as he entered, setting Tsena down beside him. He was mildly confused when there was no answer, before snapping his fingers, "Oh, that's right, he's out for tonight." The raven-head turned to Tsena, frowning when he noticed how much paler she has gotten. He opened his mouth to suggest something when the sound of Tsena's stomach grumbling loudly cut him off.

"…" Tsena lowered her head, crossing her arms over her stomach and looking away. That was embarrassing… Beside her, Yamamoto laughed.

"Alright, how 'bout I cook us something to eat while you take a shower?" He grinned, heading to the kitchen. His heart jumped unconsciously when Tsena's hand reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt. He looked back, seeing her looking down and biting her lips. His grin fell to a soft smile before he chuckled quietly, "Or… I can make something and you can watch?" The girl slowly nodded her head and Yamamoto chuckled again, walking to the kitchen with Tsena following, her hand still gripping his shirt.

Tsena finally let go of Yamamoto, pulling herself up to sit on the table. She watched as Yamamoto washed his hands and prepared the sushi, cutting them evenly and almost gracefully. She watched as he did what he did so many times before, a smile on his tanned face with his eyes shining happily. He really loved making sushi, just like how he loved baseball, and, part of Tsena hoped, her. That thought made her blush and look away from him. Did… did she just think that?

"_My good luck charm's going sour."_

"_Ahaha, 'cause you're so fun to embarrass!"_

"_Why don't you ever call me 'Takeshi', Tsena?"_

"_I love you, too, no worries."_

All his playful teasing, his sly looks, his smile… what would Tsena do without them? What would she be without him, without Yamamoto, without Takeshi…? She knew the answer: she'd be Nesta, Tsena would revert to her old self, the side of her that liked to fight, that felt nothing but pain, a side that Yamamoto helped her through. She hated how lonely it was when Yamamoto wasn't around, she hated how forgotten she felt when Yamamoto was with Aiko, she hated how cold she felt without his warmth.

Yamamoto glanced at Tsena from time to time, seeing the soft frown on her face. He frowned, too, before looking at the bowl of water beside him. He smirked and picked it up, dumping it over her head. Tsena gasped loudly at the cold water and glared daggers at Yamamoto, who was laughing.

"Ahahaha, sorry, sorry~ You just looked so distracted, I had to~" Yamamoto teased, that sly smirk on his face. Tsena nodded her head to herself, biting her lips as she tried to think of payback. She dropped down to her feet, walking over to Yamamoto's sink. The boy was still laughing, which make him all the more of an easy target. Tsena smirked as she turned the water on, grabbing the water hoes of his sink and spraying the boy. It was the raven-head's turn to gasp as the water hit his face, catching him off guard. Tsena laughed as she turned the water off, smirking.

"Payback is awesome, ne?" She smiled innocently, unaware of Yamamoto's evil smirk.

"You better apologize."

"Make me." That's what Yamamoto was about to do. With ease, he lifted the girl and threw her over his shoulder, ignoring Tsena's protest and her arm beating playfully against his back.

"Take it back yet?" He laughed along with the turquoise-head, who said she didn't. He kicked open his bathroom door, stepping into his bathtub and turning the water on. He grabbed the shower head and blasted it over Tsena. She struggled against it, leaning against the wall before she managed to steal the shower head and used it against Yamamoto. In the first time than what seemed like forever, the two friends were laughing and giggled like they used to, before Aiko came in their lives, before Yamamoto kissed Tsena, before everything changed.

Their childishness stopped once the two were completely soaked and tired, their chests heaving from all their laughter, their breaths slightly labored. The two sat down in the bathtub, Tsena's feet against the rim of the bath with her knees to her chest and Yamamoto beside her, his legs kicked up on the rim with his arms behind his neck. It was silent, each in their own world, but neither complaining.

The silence was broken though when Yamamoto chuckled. He stood up and stretched out his stiff muscles, resisting the urge to shiver. "Ne, Tsena, why don't you take a shower now and I'll finish up cooking?" He suggested for the second time that day, and smiled when Tsena nodded her head. He ruffled her head before getting out of the bathroom. Tsena watched him go, lifting a hand to touch the top of her head. Fighting down the blush, she got up and out of the bathtub, turning it on and adjusting it to the right temperature. She shifted through the cabinet above the toilet, looking for the scented bubbles for the bath and picking out one by random.

Not even five minutes resting in the bath did the door open.

Yamamoto felt like dying. He wasn't even processing going into the bathroom, honestly! He wasn't trying to pull anything funny! He just… opened the door! He nearly dropped the towel and clothes in his hand as his heart skipped a beat. Tsena was resting back in the tub, her arms draped over the rims of the tub with her head resting against her good fist, eyes closed as her body relaxed. Her eyes were closed, but when she heard the door open, her eyes slowly opened to meet his. All he could do was stare, stare into her eyes and try not to look anywhere else. Well, thank God bubbles covered the surface of the tub.

"Hm? Oh, hey, Yama…" Yamamoto was a bit surprised at the relaxation in her voice. Though, he could tell something was off about her. In fact, her red face and the fact that she was biting her lip gave her away. She shifted a bit uncomfortably, not looking at him anymore as she slowly sat up. His eyes followed the water as it slowly fell away, revealing her neck, the smooth skin of her shoulders, his eyes trailing down one arm before they stopped at the awkward twist at the elbow. He frowned. That's right… Tsena's arm was broken.

"… Need help washing off?" He mumbled, looking away and resting the things in his arm on the sink counter. Tsena quietly hummed, nodding her head. He scratched the back of his head, wondering if he should really be doing this. After all, the two were on awkward terms and she was… well, a girl. Yamamoto was brainless, but he wasn't (that) stupid.

Still, though, the boy felt somehow responsible for her broken arm. After all, after the fall from yesterday, he found that his arm had miraculously healed, but Tsena's one was, somehow, broken. Yamamoto knew that was wrong, his arm shouldn't have healed over night and how could Tsena had broken her arms when she was in his? He slowly walked over to the girl, sitting behind her on the bathtub's rim. Slowly, he ran his fingers lightly up back, enjoying her soft skill and loving how she shivered under his touch. Despite the intimacy of it, Tsena didn't pull away. Instead, she leaned back and seemed to enjoy it. He smiled softly, trailing his fingers up her back, around her neck, and down her shoulder. He stopped at her broken elbow, though, frowning softly.

"How…?" He mumbled softly, wanting to know. Tsena tensed under his fingers, pulling her knees to her chest and looking the other way.

"… Can I tell you later…?" She spoke it so quietly and softly, Yamamoto almost winced at the vulnerability in her voice. More on instincts than anything else, he leaned down and softly pressed his lips to her exposed neck. Tsena tensed even more.

"Tell me when you're ready. I'll wait forever if I have to."

The boy was slightly surprised to see Tsena's shoulders drop as the tension went away. He smiled, though, happy Tsena believed him. And he meant it, too. He'd wait forever and a day for Tsena.

* * *

><p>Tsena wasn't sure how much more she could take. How did he expect her to stay hidden in his closest as he shared such an intimate moment with <em>her<em>? She couldn't even see his face from where she sat, but she knew he was enjoying it. After all, who wouldn't? Yamamoto was on his back on his elbows, his legs apart with Aiko in between them. She giggled, leaning forward and resting her hand on his chest, leaning closer to his face. Tsena couldn't stand it, she looked away.

She blocked out the sounds, not wanting to hear it, and waited. Tsena didn't know what she was waiting for, but she had two choices: go out and make herself know or stay put and just ignore it. Ignore and pretend it didn't matter, ignore the pain, ignore the hurt, ignore how much her heart attached. And that she did. She ignored everything that happened outside the closet, staying in the darkest corner and curling up in a ball.

'… Screw it.' She closed her eyes, sighing. It hurt too much to feel anything else. Time seemed to stop until the door opened. She didn't even look at him, and was too mentally and emotionally drained to even move. Yamamoto noticed and frowned. He didn't mean to shove Tsena in a closet; he didn't even know Aiko was coming over! He frowned at the state of his friend, gently picking her up and placing her on his bed. Tsena just rolled over and closed her eyes.

The raven-head's frown deepened as his friend fell asleep. It finally clicked. He caused Tsena so much pain and grief because of his stupidity and curiosity.

* * *

><p>Tsena didn't know why, but it was too hot. With a groan, she attempted to roll over but couldn't. Something was around her, keeping her still. Groggily, she opened her eyes and looked down. Her face turned bright red. Yamamoto was fast asleep on her, his arms around her with his head against her stomach and his body curled around her.<p>

"What the hell, Yama?" She yelled quietly, face burning in embarrassment. Yamamoto stirred slightly and mumbled something, cuddling closer to Tsena and nuzzling her stomach. If possible, Tsena's face burned even more. "D-Dammit, Yama! I-I don't know what you're up to bu-but let go!" She wiggled in his arms and grumbled threats under her breath until finally, he woke up.

"Nngh… Five more minutes…" Yamamoto sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and looking at Tsena.

"Off." Tsena tried to glare at him, but couldn't. Yamamoto raised an eyebrow before he got on his hands and knees. The turquoise-head was about to sigh in relief when her breath caught in her throat. Yamamoto placed his hands beside her neck, his knee between her legs and pinned her to the bed. Tsena's face, if possible, turned even redder. "W-What -!" The raven-head cut her off by pressing his lips to hers. Tsena's heart jumped at the contact and she almost instantly kissed him back. Instead, she bit his tongue when she felt it licking at her lips.

'What the hell is your problem?' She wanted to ask, trying to muster a glare. Yamamoto frowned at her, his eyes sad. Tsena turned her head, hating that look. The boy sighed, leaning down and planting kisses on her cheek, leading to her ear.

"Tsena…" He whispered softly, nibbling on her ear. Tsena bit back the small whimper threatening to come out. Gosh, why did he have to sound so sexy?

"Y-Yamamoto…?" Tsena cursed herself for stuttering.

"Takeshi," he corrected, biting her shoulder. Tsena choked on the moan threatening to come out, "Call me Takeshi, like you did before." Tsena's mind was going hazy and her body seemed too sensitive to every little thing he did.

"W-Wha..?" Tsena's hand clenched the sheets when Yamamoto bit her neck again, resting on his lower arm as his free hand wandered her body. He noticed how her hand gripped desperately at his sheets because he sat back and grabbed her good hand, resting it behind his head.

"Show me off I make you feel," He mumbled, his usually bright honey eyes seeming a dark chocolate color. "Don't hold back," he breathed against her ear, sending chills down her spine. And for a moment, Tsena did as he said. She arched her back against him when he nibbled on her ear, trailing kisses down to her neck and nuzzling there. She groaned and ran her fingers through his silky hair, pulling it slightly and causing him to gasp. Yamamoto looked into her eyes, seeing the usual dull color was dark as well. Tsena leaned up and kissed his lips passionately, her mind going blank.

Yamamoto eagerly returned the kiss, pressing his lips firmly against hers and making her head touch the pillow there. His mouth opened and his tongue touched her lips, asking for entrance. With a soft sigh, Tsena opened her mouth and let his tongue in. The muscle explored the inside of her mouth, before meeting hers. Their tongues twisted and turned, sending pleasure down Tsena's spine and causing her to groan at the sensation Yamamoto gave her. The raven-head was the first to pull back, overjoyed when Tsena leaned up and wanted more. Her tongue ran across his lips and he parted them, letting his tongue touch hers before pressing their lips together again.

"Takeshi…" She whispered, eyes closed as the boy shifted above her, breaking the kiss. This time, Yamamoto shivered. How his name sounded so heavenly when rolled off her lips.

"Again," he nearly growled, his knee accidently brushing against her core. Tsena gasped his name in pleasure, arching her back. Yamamoto groaned himself, loving how Tsena seemed so breathless while saying his name. It was turning him on. The more they moved, the less innocent their actions became. Tsena pulled him in for another kiss, her hand slowly outlining his body and running up under his shirt, her fingers teasing his muscles and abs. Yamamoto shivered, grinding his pelvis into hers and causing them both to moan.

But reality came to play when Yamamoto accidently knocked into Tsena's broken arm. She yelped in pain, sitting up swiftly and bumping heads with Yamamoto. He groaned and leaned back, rubbing his forehead. The jolt of pain brought Tsena to her sense. Her face turned red as she quickly shoved Yamamoto off her. The raven-head groaned again, so close, yet so far.

"Why…?" He mumbled, rolling over onto his back beside her and resting a hand on his forehead. "Why won't you just let me show you how much I care for you…?"

"Because it's not sincere," Tsena answered in a whisper, sitting up and turning her back to him. Yamamoto blinked his eyes at her answer, sitting up and looking at her back.

"W-What?"

"I saw you kiss Aiko! And you even left me to hang out with her! Do you have any idea how it feels like to watch your one and only friend leave you for someone else?" Tsena bit her bottom lip, her heart doing flips. Her head told her to be quiet, but her mouth wouldn't listen. And soon, everything she told his 10-year-older self she was telling his present self, but unlike the older, she couldn't even look at him. The tears stung her eyes as they threatened to fall, but she refused to. No, she didn't want to cry in front of him, to show just how much he really hurt her and how much she needed him. Her voice was cracking as the tears threatened to tear. Why was it so much harder to tell him how she felt and what was on his mind?

Yamamoto listened with wide eyes. He didn't know Tsena would react so… so harshly to what he did. He didn't know he was her only friend, and didn't know she would feel so much pain as he walked out with Aiko. Gosh, he was stupid.

"I… I didn't mean to hurt you." He didn't know how to comfort her, "I didn't know you counted on me so much… I… I wanted to try something out…"

"Yeah? So, what, I was the puppet?" Tsena clenched the bed sheets tightly in her hand, closing her eyes to fight the tears and biting her lip to stop it from cracking.

"…" Yamamoto sighed, sitting up and crawling over to Tsena. He wrapped her arms around her middle, pulling her back to his chest and resting his head against hers. "I… think I was jealous when I saw you with Hibari-san…" He admitted, feeling Tsena tense in his arms. "When I saw you in his arms, I couldn't help but to storm over there and take you back. But… I thought it was only because we were best friends that I was so protective, so… when Aiko wanted to hang out, I wanted to test something…"

"Test something…?"

"Mm-hmm…" Yamamoto nodded his head, "I wanted to see if… I cared for her like I did for you." If possible, Tsena's body became even more tense. She growled softly and started to thrash around in his arms.

"Let me go, you pig! God, you make me so angry…!"

"I don't mean it like that!" Yamamoto's arms tightened around her. "I mean… Maa, how do I explain this…? No matter what Aiko did or said, I still only wanted you." Tsena froze. "Every little thing she did annoyed me 'cause it was what you would do, and she wasn't you. When I kissed you for the first time, there were sparks. I wanted to kiss you over and over again, wanted to keep you close and away from everyone else." Tsena's face turned bright red at this, "And when I kissed Aiko… There wasn't anything there. It was just… bland." Yamamoto made a face, shaking his head.

"… So you used Aiko…? You _compared_ us?" Tsena's voice was even, no hint of anger, but no joy either. Yamamoto flinched. He didn't know what to say.

"… I'm sorry." It was the first thing that came to mind. "I'm sorry for hurting you, Tsena. I didn't mean to. I really didn't. I… I just want you and only you…" Tsena lowered her head and Yamamoto was afraid she would reject him. But he knew better as he watched her. Her hands raised to eyes, angrily brushing her tears away.

"Gosh, why won't they stop...?" She asked herself, trying to keep her voice even. Yamamoto frowned, raising a hand to run through the hair beside her face.

"Hey, when you want to cry, just cry." Tsena inhaled sharply. "Until your tears are gone, it's okay to cry... It's okay not to pretend to be strong, because we'll become stronger together..." Tsena bit her bottom lip harder, breaking the skin and tasting blood. Gosh, his words...! She couldn't help it, she broke out in tears. Yamamoto smiled as he watched, glad to know she was finally letting her emotions out instead of penting them up. He held her tightly and nuzzled her neck, planting soft kisses and murmuring comforting words in her ear. Finally, as the minutes rolled by, Tsena's crying stopped to sniffling as she rubbed her eyes, pouting.

"Y-You bastard, I-I can't believe you ju-just made me cry..."

Yamamoto chuckled, kissing her cheek, "I'm sorry, but the sometimes, people just need to cry... The hardship's the same with everyone, so it's okay to cry." After a few silent minutes ticked by, Tsena turned her head stubbornly to the side, her bottom lip jutted out.

"Don't ever do something so stupid again, Yama-kun…"

A large grin spread across the boy's cheeks. "Ahahaha, I promise~" With that, he gently pulled Tsena down to the bed, nuzzling his nose against her back. Tsena carefully rolled over in his arms to face him, burying her head in his chest. She felt the chuckle more than heard it as she blushed.

"Don't ever leave me alone again, Takeshi..."

"Whenver you want to meet, just close your eyes," He whispered in her ear, his nose rubbing against the side of her head, "I'll always be there with you, even if we don't see each other..." With those thoughts in mind, Tsena drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

><p>Yamamoto woke with a jump the next morning. Tsena was gone! Well, she wasn't in his room, anyway. He rubbed the back of his head, smelling something weird. Was… was something burning? He hurriedly got out of bed and ran down his stairs and into his kitchen. He stopped in his steps when he saw Tsena struggling at the stove. She was grumbling things under her breath, frying pan out and broken egg shells to the side of her.<p>

With a chuckle, he walked up behind her, "What're you doing?"

"Eep!" Tsena jumped, eyes going wide and she turned to look at him. "Gosh, Yama-kun, don't do that!" He wanted to frown at her not using his first name, but instead opted to poke fun at her.

"What'cha doooing~?" He asked, looking over her shoulder. Tsena's face turning bright red as she turned her back to him, her shoulder's squared as she stared at the frying pan.

"… Trying to cook you breakfast." That answer caught him off guard. He was touched at the idea, though, and couldn't help the chuckle that left his lips. It was a cute idea.

"Trying, huh?" Tsena's face turned even more red.

"It's the thought that counts," she defended herself, trying to glare at him. Her red face and pout didn't make her look at all intimidating.

He grinned at her, reaching out for the pan and spatula while trapping her between his body and the stove. "How 'bout I help? Hmm~?" He whispered in her head, loving how her face turned even redder.

"S-Sure…" He grinned and nuzzled her neck. Gosh, why can't all days start like this?

* * *

><p>LOL WELL THIS FAILED! - A - Uhh... It <em>was<em> supposed to be better but... my brain sorta died ._.; OH THANK YOU AKI-CHAN FOR THE DERA/TSENA PART 8'D ITS SO OOC, I LOVE IT! And I'll add Nekojiji in later o A o I swear 8'D Jus... not right now ._.; *fried brain*

Tek-Tek was suffering from brain damage from some personal stuff 8'D So this was, uhh... late? Gosh, I cant believe you people like this crap o_o; Enjoy more crap 8'D I think I'ma re-edit this when I get the chance *cuzIrllywantedtopostsomething* /shot

Where was Gokudera last chapter? Gokudera was with Tsena - not there 8'D Har har~ Where were they? idk 8'D Ask the people who made the manga /shot WHERE WAS DERA WHEN YAMA WAS GONNA COMMIT SUICIDE IN THE MANGA, I ASK THEE! HE WAS SMOKING, I BET YOU! SO WHO CARES WHERE HE IS! /shot I kid 8'D

*insert replies to all your reviews here* /so not lazy 8'D... I'll answer you all tomorrow, I swear~ *heart* BUT THANK YOU ALL FOR ENJOYING MY CRAP 8'D I'M GLAD YOU ALL LIKE MY CRAP SO MUCH! GOSH ITS HOLY CRAP! LOL *inside joke* /murdered

***EDIT FEW DAYS LATER*  
><strong>THE TYPOS! SO MANY TYPOS! AND YOU PEOPLE LIKE THIS? I CANT BELIEVE YOU ALL! ... Actually, I dont mind, cuz this crap is funny and humorous and cute to write 8'D

Miss Tigger: 8'D I DONT MIND, AS IVE TOLD YOU BEFORE~ We need more clueless flirt Yama! U:  
><span>KhAeL<span>: 8'D I'm glad you love my crap - I mean crack 8'D Remember, kiddies, crack is good for you~ You'll grow up bein jus like Tek-Tek~ *heart* More or less, one of my OCs'll be a Mary-Sue 8'D *I think I know who, too* but oh well 8'D LOL  
><span>Miss Tigger<span>: I SHALL UPDATE WHEN I CAN! *sooo knows you didnt mean for next Chapter* 8'D  
><span>Squalohaifisch<span>: 8'D Hibari's nice - specially paired with Yamakinz i meanwut - but I heart Yama over Hibari 8'D No worries, Hibari gets specially fluff, too imeanwut SPOILER  
><span>MikaUchiha666<span>: 8'D YAY THANK YOU FOR LOVING THIS STORY! *heart*  
><span>Aki-chan<span>: 8'D I make Yama such an $$hole, dont I 8'D And he doesnt even try to be~ *heart* LOL XD I am not mean D: It's cuz make-up sex is the best kind of sex - imean cuz I can I: *LOL NO ONE READ THAT* BEL PLUSHEH! I CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY OF THESE THINGS! 8'DD *heaaart* OMG IKR! I love TYL!Yama x3 I love him in a yukata, too 8'D LOL Yama is 8'D Gotta love him *heart* And it's cuz Dera is Stupidera - I mean Jerkadera - I mean cuz he'd be OOC and we dont want that 8'D LOL NOOO I DONT SUPPORT B59! *lies, I do* imean NOOOO D8  
><span>AkaMizu-chan<span>: THANK YOU 8'D  
><span>Darkened Fire Dragon<span>: 8'D FANGIRLS UNITE! imean Har har~ *heart* THANK YOU 8'D I love it, too *since I cant have my Bel yet QQ* 8'D LOL IKR! I love when my partner can cook! It's so sexy x'3 8'D CRAP FTW - I MEAN CRACK! IT'S A TYPO! *shirty eyes*  
><span>Seddie AnD Teen Wolf<span>: 8'D THANK YOU! AND INDEED I WILL~ *heart*


	8. Number One In Rankings!

**Ball 7:  
><strong>**Number One In Rankings!**

"I'm home…"

"Tsuna's a pedo!"

"_What_?" Not the kind of greeting he was expecting. Tsuna blinked his eyes, watching as Tsena jabbed a finger in his direction.

"I have no problem with your pedo-ism, but if the police come, I am playing dumb! And I swear, if it turns to incest, I will _murder you_!"

"H-Hiiieee! Tsena, what're you talking about!" Tsuna flinched away from Tsena's vicious glare, confused as it broke out into a large grin.

"Just kidding~" Tsuna sweatdropped. Was it him, or was Tsena becoming more and more unpredictable? Well, at least she has been in a better mood since she made up with Yamamoto. Though, what happened between the two was beyond him. Still, during the past few months that's passed – and ever since he met Tsena – he's learned not to question many things the turquoise-head did. "But you're still a pedo~"

"I am not!" Gosh, he was too tired for this.

"Oh really?" Tsena smirked, leading Tsuna to his room. The boy sighed at the familiar settings of his room, before blinking. A little boy with dirty blonde hair and big, bright brown eyes, wearing a green long-sleeve shirt over a white collared one and blue pants, was sitting at his coffee table. At the sound of the door opening, though, he looked up at Tsuna. In an instant, he was on his feet, grabbing Tsuna's hands and shaking them.

"I finally get to meet you, Tsuna-nii!"

"Eh?" Tsuna stared at the boy suspiciously, "Tsuna-nii? Who are you?"

Tsena pouted, knocking him upside the back of his head, "Ne, don't be mean, _Tsuna-nii_."

"He seemed like he had a favor to ask you." The trio looked at the top of Tsuna's head to see a random Reborn there.

"A favor?" Both Sawadas questioned as Reborn jumped off Tsuna's head, standing behind the boy.

"My name is Futa. The mafia is after me." Futa stared up at Tsuna with his big eyes, hands held together at his chest. Tsena twitched. She hated to admit it, but this little boy was just too cute.

'He's still another nutcase... Futa will fit in just fine with the rest of us.' With that said, she turned and walked out of the room. It was time for some mother-daughter shopping. 'Tsuna will be juuuust fine without me. Besides, he has Reborn!' Tsena could be so evil sometimes.

* * *

><p>On the way back from the store with Nana, Tsena was mildly surprised to see gray clouds. She stared up at the sky, not at all noticing her surroundings, not until she was pressed gently into the wall beside her with arms and a body trapping her there.<p>

"Hi, Tseeenaaa~" The turquoise-head looked up to see Yamamoto's grinning face, his head tilted to the side with his eyes closed in glee.

"Hey, Take-kun…" Tsena breathed out, smiling shyly at him. Yamamoto's grin, if possible, got bigger. He leaned down and attempted to kiss Tsena. Attempted, because before his lips could tough hers, he was yanked back.

"Perv! Get off Onii-sama!"

"Gokuderaaaaaa…" Yamamoto whined, pouting at the boy. Tsena laughed, shaking her head. The poor baseball nut looked like a sad puppy looking up at its angry master.

"Are? Ah, Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto-kun." The trio turned to see Nana smiling at them, "Were you two on your way to our home?"

"Ahaha yup~" Yamamoto grinned, shrugging Gokudera off and looking at the mother, "You don't mind, do you?"

"No, of course not!" Nana waved her hand, winking at Tsena, "I'm sure Tse-chan wouldn't mind, either." Tsena blushed, catching the hint.

"K-Kaa-san!" The brunette laughed and waved the turquoise-head off, looking up at the sky.

"It's starting to rain. We better hurry." With that being said, the four hurried to the house, reaching it just as the rain started to pour.

"Wonder if Futa-kun's doing alright…" Tsena mumbled aimlessly, not at all catching the shocked look on a certain gray-head's face.

"_F-Futa_? You mean _the_ Ranking Futa?" Gokudera exclaimed, before kicking off his shoes and racing up the stairs. Tsena blinked after him, confused. She turned to Nana and grabbed a bag, but Nana waved her off.

"I got this, Tse-chan. Go have fun with your friends." Nana smiled at her daughter, ruffling her hair affectionately. Tsena couldn't help the small warm smile that came on her face. Even though the two weren't related by blood, Nana accepted Tsena has her own daughter. The girl couldn't help but to be touched by it. Yamamoto noticed the smile and grinned. He always liked it when Tsena smiled, but he absolutely loved it when Tsena saw the grin. She scowled and blushed, looking away from him. Yamamoto laughed. Still the easily embarrassed best friend as ever.

"Juudaime!" Gokudera's yell could be heard from downstairs. Tsena and Yamamoto looked at each other, before following after the gray-head. "Why didn't you tell me that the ranking kid was here?"

"Gokudera-kun?" Tsena was confused as to how he always randomly appeared.

"Yo~" Yamamoto greeted from behind Gokudera, his arm around Tsena's shoulders.

"Yamamoto! Tsena, too!" Tsena blinked her eyes, wondering why everything in Tsuna's room was floating.

'I want to float…' Tsena pouted. Yamamoto noticed the floating, too.

"Wow, this is amazing." Tsena twitched and sighed. Still the same clueless baseball nut as always.

"There was something I wanted to ask him." Gokudera marched up to the little boy, who looked as if he wasn't all there. "What rank am I for "person most suited to be Juudaime's right-hand man"?" Tsena wanted to smack the boy. So much determination and admiration for one boy. No wonder people thought he was gay – I mean good job, Gokudera. If only you showed so much interest in people of the opposite gender (Tsena doesn't count). "Can you do it, ranking kid?"

"That's easy." Tsena was fascinated at the look in Futa's eyes. It was like the stars and planets were in them, though her fascination disappeared when he answered, "Hayato-nii's rank is…" Insert suspense build up here, "… not even in the ball park."

Poor Gokudera looked like he was about to give birth. "_W-What?_" He demanded, shocked. In fact, he was so speechless he turned into a vegetable and fell backwards. He would have hit the floor if Tsuna didn't catch him. Good game, Tsuna, save the father of your child – I mean mother – I mean your faithful right-hand man.

"Is that even legit?" Tsena asked as she wiped her tears. Gokudera just seemed to die at hearing the ranking, it was just too funny.

"Is there such a thing as being out of the ranking's range?" Tsuna asked, looking at Futa. After all, who else wanted to be Tsuna's right-hand man?

"It's not that," Futa replied, "It's out of the atmosphere."

Gokudera and Tsuna were both stunned, "Out of Earth?"

Yamamoto stepped forward, laughing, "That's a funny guy."

"I know, right," Tsena giggled, hand to her mouth. Yamamoto grinned at her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to him. Tsena laughed softly. She knew Yamamoto was a bit touchy-feely from before the two were so intimidate, and now that there are, Tsena rarely found herself out of his arms. She didn't complain though, she enjoyed the feeling of him thoroughly.

"Being a right-hand man for the mafia isn't the only job out there. Hayato-nii is ranked first for "person most suited to be a male nanny" out of all the mafia." It was now Tsena's turn to die. She snorted before laughing out loud, holding her sides and feeling the tears. Gokudera, the one always fighting with Lambo, a male nanny? Oh gosh, Futa knew how to tell a joke! She laughed and laughed, her knees bucking under her. Yamamoto caught her before she fell, holding her up. He was confused as to why Tsena was laughing, but he just smiled. A happy Tsena made a happy Yamamoto.

"_Gokudera-kun?_ The one who's always fighting Lambo?"

"A nanny!" When did Haru get there?

"He's also ranked second in the "likes children" category," Futa added. Tsena didn't know it got better.

"W-Wait, we still talking about the same Gokudera Hayato, the Hurricane Bomber, who absolutely hates kids?" Tsena breathed slowly, unable to stop the random giggles.

"Yes, it's perfect for you."

Gokudera was brought to one knee, "I like… children?" It was a shock to the boy himself, too.

"You're funny, too, Gokudera~" Yamamoto chirped to the poor boy who just realized his fate. And it just keeps getting better for him, too. Soon after Bianchi appeared, flying in the air with her hair crazed around her. Gokudera was petrified – he even turned to stone. Tsena knew it than – Bianchi was Medusa in a past life.

"Let's make a love ranking and make it clear who loves who," Bianchi suggested, to which Reborn immediately agreed to. After all, nothing tops his love for embarrassing his student.

"Then let's start with the "Who Tsuna-nii loves" ranking." Futa turned to the brunet, who was loudly protesting. He ran to stop the poor from revealing who he loved, but was affected by the zero-gravity rule that came with being a ranker. "Rank 1 in "who Tsuna-nii loves" –"

"W-Wait!"

"Is…" Another intense silence, "Leon." The green chameleon popped in front of Tsuna's face.

… What?" Tsena twitched.

"Hahaha, is that true, Tsuna?" Yamamoto laughed as Bianchi gave Tsena a weird look.

"That was unexpected."

"I know, right."

"Let's do Tsena next."

"… As was that… Wait, why is Tsena next?" Tsena stared at Reborn with wide eyes, her face turning red. Reborn smirked.

"Why not? Unless you have something to hide…"

"W-What?" Tsena took a step back, eyes going wide. Yamamoto looked at Tsena but Tsena couldn't look at him. "I-I have nothing to hide!"

"Than do it, Futa." Reborn, you evil child, how could you? Tsena covered her face, groaning.

"Rank 1 in "who Tsena-nee loves" is…" Tsena's breath caught in her throat, waiting for the truth, "… Hayato-nii." Tsena fell to the floor.

"I-I _what?_" This was news to Tsena.

"You do, Tsena?" Yamamoto blinked his eyes, at a loss of words. Wait, did he miss something?

"N-No!"

"You don't, Onee-sama?" Poor Gokudera looked like a puppy who'd been kicked.

"I-I mean! Well…! N-Not like that! Tha-That's so – it's just – That's horrible ranking!" Yamamoto looked at Tsena, before giving Gokudera a wary look. He may not have understood much, but he did hear the words "Tsena", "love", and "Hayato" in one sentence.

"… Should I be defensive?"

"Y-Yama-kun!" Tsena grabbed his arm, shaking it as if to emphasize her point. What nonsense was he spouting? Didn't he already know the truth? Yamamoto looked at her, seeing her pout, the blush on her face, and how she was staring at his neck, her eyes trying to flicker up to meet his gaze. He grinned, wrapping his arms around the girl and nuzzling her cheek. His Tsena was just too cute.

Thanks to Futa, Tsuna was confused as to who he was, Gokudera was suffering from his inevitable career as a day-care person, Tsena was being teased by Yamamoto, who was laughing, and Haru was talking to the window, mourning her lost of her love. As soon as she mentioned rain, though, Futa seemed to have turned off. Everything floating in the air fell to the ground as Futa suddenly collapsed. Tsena couldn't help but to rush over to the little boy, kneeling beside him and resting a hand on his forehead.

"Something wrong, Futa?" She missed the sly look Yamamoto gave her. He found her motherly instincts amusing. After all, for a girl who didn't particularly like kids, she sure took to Futa well.

"I feel weak," Futa answered slowly, leaning against Tsena, "I'm no good in the rain." He rested his head against Tsena's shoulders, sighing softly, "I hate the rain… When it rains, my ranking becomes nonsense."

"E-Eh? Nonsense?" Tsuna questioned, looking at Futa for an explanation. The poor boy looked too tired to give one. Tsena frowned before she gently picked Futa up and rested him on Tsuna's bed. Reborn hopped up on the bed and explained instead.

"There's a theory that his communications with the Ranking Star become interrupted." Yamamoto didn't understand, and was too busy thinking of ways to tease Tsena to care. He grinned, walking to the other side of Tsuna's bed. He watched as Tsena hovered over Futa, pouting as she did so.

"Ne, Tsena~" Yamamoto leaned down so his face was close to her ear, "You practicing for later?" Tsena's face turned cherry red at the implication.

"T-That's – what the – Y-Yamamoto! What makes you think I'm practicing for our kids!" She growled in a whisper, trying to glare at him. If possible, Yamamoto's grin widened.

"I never said our kids."

"…" Tsena swear she just died, because dear lord, he was right. She opened her mouth to reply, but all the came out was some weird strangled noise. Instead, she opted to just falling to her knees, trying to bang her head against the bed. Well, since that didn't work, she supposed she could just suffocate herself. She couldn't believe she just said that.

Yamamoto smiled tenderly down at her, all signs of teasing aside. He didn't know what to feel, but the bubbly glow in his chest was welcoming. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, nudging her head with his nose. Tsena made a groaning noise, burying her head deeper in the bed. He leaned over more to trail kisses along her neck, smirking when she shivered. Never before did he know Tsena had a sensitive neck, and now that he knew, he was always abusing it. He kissed up to her cheek, smiling when she turned her head towards him. His lips touched the corner of hers, teasing her. He chuckled when Tsena pouted, groaning a whine.

"Want something, Tsena?" He whispered. Tsena narrowed her eyes at him, pouting even more. Why did Yamamoto like to tease her?

"Takeshi…" She breathed out in a whine, watching as he shivered. Close, Yamamoto figured. He leaned down and tugged on her bottom lip with his teeth, sucking on it and running his tongue over it. Tsena pushed her head forward, wanting more, but Yamamoto pulled his head back. Might have been close, but his name didn't tell him what exactly she wanted. "You tease," she growled, blushing as she tried to glare at him. He grinned and leaned forward to kiss her, when Haru's exclamation distracted him.

"An army of umbrellas?"

"Huh?" Yamamoto leaned back and looked at her, confused. Tsena stuffed her face in the bed more. So close yet so far. Stupid Haru. Gokudera stood up and looked from the side window.

"Tch." He kneeled down and looked at the others in the room, "Those guys are from the Todd Family. I remember seeing them before."

"So they're after Futa," Tsena mumbled, crawling over to Gokudera and Tsuna with Yamamoto following.

"It seems so." They looked over before jumping when they saw it. It being Reborn's face covered in white caterpillar-looking bugs.

"W-What the -?"

"Your winter subordinates!" Oh yeah, Reborn was a master at bug-talk. Tsena shook her head. The nonsense of this little baby, and to add to that nonsense, the bugs were in larva stage, so they couldn't even gather information. Reborn just had them for show.

"You were the one who decided to take in Fuuta," Reborn said, looking at his student.

Tsuna looked down, "That's true…" but what was he supposed to do against an army of Mafiosos?

"Tsuna!" At the call of his name, he brunet looked up, "Don't worry, I'll help, too." Yamamoto grinned as he winked at the boy.

"We'd better barricade ourselves in."

"That's good!" Tsuna sweatdropped.

"That's a bit too much…"

"Why, it sounds great." Tsena grinned, "Let 'em have their fun~"

"Hey Reborn, what should we –" Tsuna turned towards his tutor, only to cut himself off with a strangled noise. Reborn was sleeping right beside Futa.

"Well, that leaves only us and Bianchi," Tsena mumbled, but she was proven wrong. Barely a few minutes later, they watched as the Poison Scorpio made her grand escape.

"She's running away!"

"… Good game." Tsena leaned back and looked at Tsuna, "Well, Bossu, what now?"

"D-Don't call me that!" Tsena scratched her head, looking around. They didn't have much to work with and no weapons.

"Huh…" She looked up at the ceiling before grinning and snapping her fingers. "Oh! I got an idea!"

* * *

><p>The sun was setting and a single silhouette rested in the lonesome park.<p>

"Did you see, too?"

Well it _was_ lonesome.

"Hm?" She turned her head, pale blue eyes staring at the figure who joined by her side. "Yeah. He's here."

"Mm." He nodded his head, lifting a finger to press his glasses further up his nose. "What do you we should do?" His blank dark blue eyes glanced sideways to look at her.

"What else should we do?" She ran a hand through his white hair, looking up at the sky. "We should tell him… After all, it's not like we can just kidnap the boy right here and right now."

"You could do it." The male beside her pointed out. She grimaced.

"That's beside the point. What I mean is what if it interrupts his plans? I'm not having my brain screwed over trying to jump ahead of schedule."

"Or perhaps… you're just too lazy," he countered, watching as she caught herself from falling over.

"I-I am not!" She coughed, turning her head and ignoring the faint blush on her face. "A-Anyway, we should probably go tell him we found the Ranking kid…"

He nodded before walking off, his companion following close behind.

* * *

><p>ewe... Can you tell Tek-Tek got lazy? lol there's no real point to this chapter except for fluff ewe Tek-Tek was in the mood for fluff D8 And lol, intro of new OC slash plot, I guess ewe... Ne, jus really wanted to post (fluff) something ewe...<p> 


	9. Of Blood And Violence

**Ball 8:  
><strong>**Of Blood And Violence**

She watched from on top of a wall as he was attacked. Punch after punch, kick after kick, he was outmatched and they knew it. Still, they showed no mercy.

"So weak, so weak~" He was even taunted as he laid there on the ground, breath coming out in pants as blood fell from his mouth, bruises decorating his visible skin (and surely under his clothes, too). "Is this the famous Namimori School Disciplinary Committee? They're nothing to be afraid of!"

"Who are you…?" He struggled to ask, looking at the two.

"It's always the same questions," she mumbled, sighing boredly, "who are you? What do you want? Why are you doing this?"

"If you're going to talk, you should at least help," the one with glasses said, looking at her. She stiffened and turned her head.

"I'm good…"

"Hey! This is _my_ prey!"

"Just hurry up, Ken. This guy's not the one, so finish up."

"Alright~" Ken reached in his pocket, taking out a golden watch, "Don't hate me; these are orders from the top." Despite this, though, the look on Ken's face showed he had no remorse or guilt about what he was doing. Chikusa sighed, looking up at their third companion.

"Will you handle the next one?"

"Hm? What's this, Chikusa doesn't want to fight?"

"That's not it. It's just you refuse to do anything."

"That's a lie, Chikusa. I do stuff."

"Define 'stuff'." She paused, bottom lip tugging out into a pout.

"… Do I have to?" Chikusa sighed again, shaking his head.

"I'll do it, if you don't want to."

"Then have fun. I'll go report back." She pushed herself off the wall, landing evenly on her feet. "Don't cause too much of a commotion now," she said while waving.

"Ahhh? Where's Azuki-nee going?" Ken asked, standing beside the glasses-wearing boy, watching as she disappeared in the night.

"She's going back to Mukuro-sama. I'll handle the next target."

"Ehhh? But I wanted to see Azuki-nee fight!"

"Leave her be, Ken." With that, he turned and walked away.

"Oi! Kakipi! Why doesn't Azuki-nee have to do anything?" Ken quickly caught up with him, hunching forward with his hands in his pockets. He was disappointed, having never seen the white-haired lady fight.

"I don't know, but Mukuro-sama doesn't seem to have a problem with it, so I'm not going to question it."

Ken scoffed, glaring ahead of him, "Well, if Mukuro-san says so…"

* * *

><p>Tsena laughed as she and Tsuna walked to school.<p>

"You, join a club? Oh, that's funny."

"Shut up, Tsena," Tsuna sighed, looking at the fliers in his hand, "I already told her; I don't want to try these."

"Haha, take up kendo with me~" Tsena suggested, before giving an evil smirk, "It'll be a good excuse to beat you up – I meaaaan, for the two of us to have some great fun." She smiled innocently as Tsuna sputtered nonsense.

"You! Why would you want to – Tsena!"

"I kid, I kid," Tsena laughed, before looking up at the hitman that started to talk.

"If Futa were here, we could have him determine a ranking of which martial art best suits you."

Tsena frowned, "That's true, but we haven't seen Futa-kun in a long time…"

"And even if he were, I wouldn't want a ranking like that!" Still, though, Tsuna's face showed his concern and worry about the little boy. Where could he have gone? "I hope he's not being chased by scary people."

Tsena nodded her head, before suddenly sensing the tense air. "Huh?" Looking up, she noticed the Disciplinary Committee members around. "What's that about?"

"Since there was that kind of incident last weekend, it's natural that they would be tense." Reborn was indicating to the random attacks on various members of the Committee.

"I wonder if it really was someone with a grudge against the Committee."

"That's not it." Tsuna jumped before the two turned to see a certain skylark behind them.

"H-Hibari-san!"

"Mornin', Hibari-san," Tsena greeted the boy, who gave her a small nod of acknowledgement.

"Ciaossu!" Reborn also greeted him.

"Hello there, akanbo." Tsena was amused by the fact that Tsuna was freaking out in Hibari's presence, and it didn't help when the skylark was walking towards them. Yes, Hibari was one to fear, but only if you've done something wrong (in Tsena's mind, anyway).

"We were just on our way to school, and…" Tsuna held his hands up, looking wary as he tried to explain the situation they were in. He didn't want to face the wrath of Hibari. "We're not bad-mouthing you or anything."

"I've never experienced such a thing," Hibari said, as he hadn't heard Tsuna at all, standing beside Tsena, his calm stormy blue-gray eyes meeting her dull green ones, "But the sparks of fire must be extinguished." If it wasn't for the fact that Hibari scared Tsuna greatly, he would have been impressed that Tsena managed to hold Hibari's gaze. Then again, Tsena was as big of a freak as Hibari, just a tad bit more… tamed? No wonder the two got along… well (It's Hibari, who gets along with him besides his Committee members?).

"You do what you have to do to keep the peace of Namimori in check, Hibari-san," Tsena chuckled, not mocking the boy at all. She knew how much he loved his town and that he'd go to any length to ensure no one screws the order over, no matter how extreme. What she failed to notice, though, was a certain perverted doctor trying to sneak up on her. Hibari, sensing the lewd presence, was quick to attack. Metal hit bone as Shamal fell to the ground.

"Dammit… and I was so close…" Shamal whined quietly, his plans on groping – I mean giving Tsena a physical exam foiled.

"Huh?" Tsena blinked, looking at the doctor.

"Dr. Shamal!"

Shamal rubbed his head, sitting up and pouting, "Why'd you do that?"

"I felt an evil intent," Hibari answered simply, giving Shamal a bored look. "It must have been my imagination." With that, he retracted his tonfa and turned. Tsena blinked, looking at his neck. Was that… a mosquito?

"Er, Hibari-san," she mumbled, stepping to him and trying to catch the mosquito. Emphasize on 'trying' because as soon as her hand made contact with his neck, not only did the bug get away, but she found herself pinned to a nearby wall by a tonfa to her neck with a glaring Hibari.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Sorry, sorry," Tsena laughed nervously, raising her hands to show her defense. "It's just I thought I saw a mosquito and I, uh, guess I wasn't thinking…" She scratched her cheek, smiling awkwardly. Now that she mentioned it, Hibari felt an itch. He scratched his neck and stepped back.

"Touch me again and I'll bite you to death."

"Of course. Sorry, Hibari-san." Tsuna sweatdropped as he watched the two. Sure, he felt scared for Tsena, because that goofy smile and the way she handled Hibari was much like how Yamamoto would. He sweatdropped at the thought of Tsena turning into a mini-Yamamoto.

'The two spend a lot of time together, so of course Tsena would start picking up bits of Yamamoto's personality.' He reasoned.

'I think that's what they call a 'close-call'.' Tsena thought to herself, laughing nervously as she watched Hibari walk away. She turned to Tsuna, who was giving her a wary look. Tsena blinked her eyes at him, before the sudden song of their school anthem began to play.

"What the…?" The two look around, only to see Hibari pull out his cell phone. The Sawadas sweatdropped, thinking the same thing.

'Hibari-san's ringtone…?' He answered and had a short conversation with whoever on the phone, before turning to them.

"Isn't Sasagawa Ryohei one of your friends? They got him."

"E-Ehh!" The two shared a look, concerned. Tsena called out a "Thanks" over her shoulder before the two and Reborn hurried to the hospital. Tsena froze, though, stopping and looking around. Tsuna noticed and stopped, looking at her. "Tsena?"

Reborn frowned, also noticing it. Tsena tensed, turning around. "What will you do, Tsena?"

"…" The girl was silent, before she managed an awkward laugh and a fake grin at the two, "Go on ahead. I'll catch up later." Tsuna was confused, but didn't argue when Reborn kicked him in a face and told him to get a move on (he did complain about the kick, though). Tsena watched them go, before quickly jumping to the left. Right where she was standing were pins.

"Huh… Didn't expect to see you here…" Tsena looked ahead, watching as the boy stepped forward. His face was blank, even his dark blue eyes were dull in color and emotionless. A white beanie covered his short blue hair, glasses framing his eyes, and a barcode on his left cheek. He was wearing a green school uniform, one she recognized as Kokuyo Middle's.

"Chisuke," Tsena mumbled, frowning, "What're you doing here?"

"Still calling me Chisuke after all these years... Nesta?" He lifted his glasses further up his nose, "I've told you, my name's Chikusa. Although, you go by Tsena now, right."It was more of a statement than a question. He pulled his other hand from his pocket, revealing the pink yo-yo with holes in it. Tsena tensed, frowning.

"Guess you're not here to catch up, huh, Chisuke." Tsena braced herself.

"Afraid not, so don't hate me for this." With that, he attacked.

* * *

><p>"He's coming closer," She mumbled, watching as the boy entered the building. "What'll you do, Mukuro-san?"<p>

"Oya oya, still with the formalities, even if you're older," the boy teased as Azuki sighed. "Old habits die hard, as the saying goes."

"Yes, indeed it does."

"The real question here is: what will you do, Butler-san?" He said, his words having more meaning than they're supposed to.

"I told you, I'm not a butler, I'm a chef."

"True enough, since you only played butler with one person."

"Mukuro-san," Azuki sighed again, her voice showing her warning as she frowned at him.

"Kufufufu, I'm only joking, Azuki."

"Gwah!" Their conversation was cut short by a Kokuyo student crashing into the room in front of them.

Hibari entered the room, looking unamused.

"Hello. Thanks for coming," Mukuro greeted him. Already Hibari was annoyed with him. The way he just sat on his couch so casually, as if he wasn't a threat. It annoyed him, made him angry. He couldn't wait to bite this person to death.

"I've been looking for you for quite some time. Are you behind this prank?" In the dim light coming in from the broken windows behind the couch, he managed to make out two figures, one sitting on the couch and another standing behind the couch and beside the boy. Hibari briefly wondered if he would have to bite the other person first, but when the figure made no move to get involved, his focused all his attention on the one speaking.

"Something like that," he said simply, "And I'm also the new order in your town."

"You must be talking in your sleep. Namimori does not need two sources of discipline."

"I agree completely. I will become the new order, so you are unnecessary."

This guy was really annoying Hibari. He was so calm and sure of himself, joking with Hibari, _toying_ with him. "I can't have that." He raised his tonfas threateningly, "I'll bite you to death right here." Hibari walked forward, noting how he made no move to stand, "So you want to die while sitting?"

"Kufufufu." Even his laugh was annoying, "You certainly are funny. There's no need to stand; that's why I'm sitting." Hibari twitched, his eyes narrowing even more. He looked once more at the person standing beside him, wondering if the figure was finally going to make a move. "Azuki won't attack you, so you don't need to worry about her."

Hibari wouldn't complain, this 'Azuki' wasn't as annoying as the other. "I'm going to stop talking to you." After all, he would bite Azuki after this arrogant fool was handled.

"Do as you wish, but unless you take the opportunity now, you'll never speak again." And as if on cue, Hibari froze. His body tensed, feeling heavy. "Hmmm? Is something the matter? You look a little sick."

"Shut up," Hibari growled.

"You must not have realized who you had picked a fight with." His matter-of-fact answer, the smirk in his voice… Hibari just wanted to smash his face in, "I was surprised, too. To think, a first-rate hitman such as Trident Shamal was over here."

"What are you talking about?" Hibari lifted his head, not knowing why he swayed a little as he moved. Something was wrong, but what was it?

"His specialty is using mosquitoes which has various untreatable sicknesses to kill. Trident Mosquitoes." Hibari's eyes widened a bit.

"_Sorry, sorry. It's just I thought I saw a mosquito…"_

So Tsena had been right. And the man he knocked down, Tsuna called him 'Dr. Shamal'. He growled, unconsciously looked down to where the bite was. He looked up ahead, his vision getting blurry.

"Maa, get a hold of yourself. I'm over here," He teased Hibari, who tried to keep his vision focused ahead. He wasn't aware of the fact that he was swaying from side to side, struggling to keep on his feet. He could hear the boy talking, saying something about a disease called 'Sakura-kura' and sakuras, but he couldn't tell for sure what he was saying. He could smell though the faint scent of sakuras. Looking up, he saw said plant above him, pink petals dancing in the wind and gently falling to the ground. His body acted on his own, and he hated that stupid laugh the boy gave.

* * *

><p>"Tsena!" Tsuna was shocked to see the girl passed out on a bed. She looked like she was in bad shape, bandages decorating her with various IV's attached to her arm.<p>

"Are you a friend?" A nurse asked, frowning at him.

"N-No, I'm her brother…" He mumbled, looking at her. She noted and sighed, looking down at Tsena.

"She was in a fight, that much is certain, but we found poison in her body."

"Tsena's been _poisoned_?" Tsuna exclaimed, shocked, "Will she be alright? Does she have an antidote?"

"We're doing all we can, but it's an unknown poison to us. She might not…" The nurse bowed her head, walking out of the room. Tsuna panicked, looking at Reborn.

"Reborn!"

"I'll contact Shamal right away," the baby said, face serious. Tsuna turned back to the list in his hand. "Her name is on there, isn't it?"

Tsuna nodded, "So that means…" Tsuna looked over the list, before his eyes widened, "I don't believe it!" The next person… what was he supposed to do? "What do we do, Reborn?" Tsuna was panicking, because not only was his sister poisoned and beaten, but the next person was another close friend he cared for.

"This is becoming dangerous," Reborn mumbled, frowning, "You should go. I have to look into something."

"Ehhh? _Me_?" Tsuna took a step back, before looking at Tsena, "But…"

"Don't worry about Tsena. I'll call Shamal, so go."

* * *

><p>"So how was he, Mukuro-san?" Ken asked, rolling the bowling ball down the lane and scoring a strike. "The Nami-Chuu boss. Was his name Suzume? Or was it Ahiru?" He laughed, turning to the boy.<p>

"He was a 'miss'," Mukuro answered, taking the drink Azuki offered, "He's laying down over there for now."

"I wonder if he's still alive." Ken smirked, also taking the drink Azuki got him. "Azuki-nee! Why didn't you take on that target!" He whined, frowning at her. Azuki blinked her eyes, frowning and not answering.

"Azuki isn't on our side, Ken," Mukuro answered for her, "But she's also not against us, either."

"Ehhh? That makes no sense." Ken glared at the lady, pouting now.

"Hm… I guess it could better be explained as… she's still loyal to one person." Mukuro smirked as Azuki gave him a look. He enjoyed teasing her about this, too. "By the way, where is Chikusa?"

"Kakipi went off hunting for the next target."

"Mm… did he have fun with his other target?" Ken grew silent, his mouth dropping into an unusual straight line. "Oya oya? What's this, does Ken miss his Nesta?"

"M-Mukuro-san!" Ken jumped, waving his hands around, "It's not like that!"

"It's okay, Ken," Mukuro chuckled, "Dear Nesta was close to all of us."

* * *

><p>lol wow, this is short o-o; Hm... Oh, akanbo is baby in Japanese XD I like it better than saying "Baby" cuz yaoi has infected my brain - I mean cuz I can :D And lol you ever noticed how much people change when they hang with someone so much? So yeah, Tsena handled Hibari like Yamamoto would since I love 8018 - I mean since the two hang out so much. It has nothing to do with my craving for 8018, nope, nothing at all. Stop looking at me like that.<p>

icysu22: Yes, since Charlie the Unicorn was mentioned, a magic portal opened up and created a nice Hibari :D  
><span>MikaUchiha666<span>: lol thanks XD  
><span>AkaMizu-chan<span>: lol I didnt think it was so great ewe;; I jus rlly wanted to make fluff QQ XD Thank you and I will~  
><span>Darkened Fire Dragon<span>: I love fluff too 8'D Fluff is ftw XD And yes, more fluff must come ewe;;

lol so liiiike, I finished watching KHR and I was sad face D: I wanted moar! QQ Cant wait for the new one~ XD Oh, btw, what kind of flame do you think Tsena would have? ewe;;


	10. Game Of Revenge

**Ball 9:  
><strong>**Game of Revenge**

Tsuna couldn't remember the last time he was glad to eat concrete. Though, the stinging in his side made him not want to do it anytime soon. Either way, he was safe from that four-eyed freak's attack.

"We've slid over home plate, safe and sound."

"Eh?" Tsuna leaned on his elbow, looking up to see a grinning Yamamoto.

"Y-Yamamoto..!" He couldn't believe it. What a relief!

"I was walking by and heard the ruckus," he explained, before blinking his eyes, "I was looking for you, actually. Where's Tsena?" Tsuna's heart froze, his eyes widened. Tsena… He still wasn't sure if she was still breathing. Yamamoto noticed the brunet's hesitation and the fear in his eyes. His heart jumped. Just what happened to his Tsena?

"The one you call Tsena…" The baseball nut turned his head to the voice, seeing a bloody mess known as Chikusa, "Nesta… She should be dying slowly from the poison I put in her." Tsuna missed the way Yamamoto's body tensed or how the temperature seemed to drop around him. No, he was more preoccupied with the information he just heard.

"Y-You mean… _you're _the one who poisoned Tsena?" Yamamoto turned to look at Tsuna, than the fainted Gokudera on the ground. His anger rose, but his face was calm and composed. Tsuna noticed Yamamoto than and noted how he changed. He knew Yamamoto rarely got angry, his patience was a big reason he and Tsena were so close, but he's never seen the raven-head rage.

"You're in the way." Without a second warning, Chikusa attacked, and in a matter of seconds, Yamamoto had his sword out, fending off the yo-yo. Chikusa was surprised, even Tsuna was!

"He cut it! Since when did Yamamoto start carrying a bat around?" Though, it was for a different reason.

"I see," the blue-haired boy mumbled, reaching to fix his glasses, "You're Namimori Middle School, 1-A, Roll Sheet number 15: Yamamoto Takeshi."

"What of it?" Yamamoto didn't care how he knew what he knew or what he was doing, all he knew was this guy was the one who hurt his Tsena, hurt his friends and he would pay, one way or another. Before he could counterattack, though, the sound of footsteps approaching stopped him.

"This way, officer!"

"What're you boys doing?"

"You're Ken's target. Fighting you would be a pain." With that, Chikusa stumbled away, mumbling about a shower. Yamamoto watched him go, his eyes still narrowed and his grip on his sword tightening.

"Gokudera-kun! Are you alright?" As much as the baseball nut wanted to cut the guy apart for hurting his friends, Gokudera was still in dire need of medical attention. Yamamoto grimaced, feeling torn. He wanted to go and see Tsena right away, but he was also concerned about Gokudera… Tsuna, noticing the troubled look on his face, smiled slightly, "Yamamoto, go see Tsena. I've got Gokudera-kun."

He didn't need to be told twice. With a grateful smile, Yamamoto nodded, "Thanks, Tsuna."

* * *

><p>Azuki turned her head, hearing someone stumbling into the room.<p>

"Hm?" Mukuro heard it, too, "Is that you, Chikusa?" He asked, sitting up straighter and looking at the four-eyed boy. Before either could question him, though, Chikusa fell. "Oya? Did we get a 'hit'?" Mukuro wondered as Azuki hurried over to the boy.

"Is Kakipi here?" Ken asked, entering the room. "Kakipi, you look lame~" He teased, squatting down beside the boy and laughing. "You look tattered and barbequed. He's cooked rare and looks delicious." Azuki smacked him as he started to drool.

"Don't make me make a feast out of _you_," she mumbled, half-teasing, half-serious. Ken flinched away, grimacing.

"He's just unconscious," Mukuro spoke up, catching their attention. "There's no way Chikusa would return empty-handed without information on the Vongola. Let's wait until he wakes up."

* * *

><p>Yamamoto frowned, caressing Tsena's pale face – paler than usual, anyway. The nurse told him she was looking a lot better than earlier, and if that was true, well… He grimaced, looking away from her. She must have looked horrible. He started to pull his hand away, pausing when he heard Tsena mumble something.<p>

"… shi…"

"Hm?" He leaned forward.

"Ta… shi…" He knitted his eyebrows together, confused.

"What did you say, Tsena?" He asked, though didn't exactly expect an answer. He was surprised when he got one, though.

"Take… shi…" The baseball nut's eyes widened a bit as he heard this, blinking when she repeated his name more clearly. A small smile touched his face. When was the last time she's called him that? Tsena would usually get so flustered that she'd just frill around and change the subject. He wished she would call him by his first name more than often, but wasn't going to force her. Tsena would ease into it by herself, and he would be over-joyed when that day comes, too.

"Tsena…" He whispered, reaching for her hand and gripping it in his. Her eyes fluttered slightly, her hand twitching and slightly gripping his tighter. He waited for her eyes to open, but was disappointed when she rolled her head to the side. His smile returned, though, when she mumbled his name with a small smile. As much as he would love to stay with her until she woke up, he had somewhere to be.

After all, he had to take his revenge on the one who did this to her.

With that in mind, Yamamoto stood up and bent down to kiss her cheek. "Stay still and get well soon, 'kay, Tsena?" He whispered in her ear, running his finger through her hair before leaving.

* * *

><p>"Hm?" Azuki watched as Ken prowled around, looking anxious. No, anxious wasn't the right word: he was bloodthirsty.<p>

"They're here," he growled softly, sounding feral, "I can smell them." She hummed.

"How many?" To her amusement, he actually sniffed the air.

"Four… no, five." He grinned widely, "I bet _he's_ there, too, the one I'm supposed to get."

Azuki's face was neutral as she stared out the window, arms crossed. "… Well, what are you waiting for?" It wasn't a command and even if it was, Ken wouldn't ignore it. After all, he didn't need to be told twice when it came to hunting his prey.

"Kufufufu…" The white-haired lady turned to him, eyes half-lidded.

"What's so funny?"

"You _know_ one of them, don't you." It wasn't a question and it annoyed Azuki, but she refused to show it.

"Do I now…" She mumbled, answering his question with another one.

"You can't hide it from me." Mukuro stood beside her, both staring outside the windows. "I know _everything_ about you."

"Is that so?" Azuki's voice was even, too, giving nothing away.

"I've been in your mind; I know things you wish I didn't." He smirked, though his eyebrow twitched. Azuki didn't acknowledge it, didn't admit to anything, even though they both knew.

"If you say so." But that's what made her so fun. Despite that he's been in her mind, picked at it and discovered things that shouldn't have been discovered, Azuki didn't change, she didn't bend. She was unfazed and Mukuro couldn't wait to break her.

"Kufufufu…" He looked forward to it, "Are our guests here?"

"Just about…" Azuki turned, "I'll go check up on Chikusa." Mukuro watched her go, chuckling again. His little doll was so amusing.

* * *

><p>Yamamoto was in trouble. Not only was his bat broken but he couldn't exactly see anything in the dark hole with his opponent. All he could do was jump and dodge his attacks, waiting for a chance to strike back. The baseball nut did just that, barely managing to get out of the way of an incoming attack – and this one was close.<p>

"You smell familiar…" The boy grumbled, stalking around Yamamoto, "That scent… who does it belong to…?" The raven-head blinked, looking at his arm and sniffing his sleeve. He smelt fine, so what was he talking about? Ken wrinkled his nose, growling softly, "You smell like Nesta."

" 'Nesta'?" Yamamoto mumbled, swear he's heard that name before, "You mean Tsena?"

Ken scoffed, shaking his head, "Nesta, Tsena, they're the same person!" He held his head higher, a mistrusting look in his eyes, "Haha, bet you don't know anything about her."

Despite himself, Yamamoto's eyebrow twitched, "Oh? And you do?"

"Of course." Ken smirked, "I was her best friend growing up."

"You lie." Yamamoto glared at him, annoyed. What was he talking about? He didn't know who this 'Nesta' person was, but whoever it was, wasn't Tsena.

Ken's smirk widened, "Bet you don't know the real dark secret of Nesta's, either~ Bet you really don't know how cold she is, or how messed up she is, too."

Reborn's eyes narrowed, "This is bad. At this rate, Yamamoto will get distracted and end up losing focus."

* * *

><p>Tsena's nose twitched, before she sneezed loudly.<p>

"Owwww…" She whined after, groggily opening her eyes and rubbing her nose. "That hurt…"

"Bless you," a soft voice giggled from her side.

"Hm…?" Tsena looked over to the voice. She blinked her eyes into focus, seeing an older lady with soft, bright pink hair thrown over her shoulders and bright blue eyes, a gentle smile on her face. "Huh…?"

"I'm glad to see you up, Sawada-san." Tsena looked her over, noticing she was dressed in a nurse's outfit.

"Oh… yeah, thanks…" Tsena sat up, looking around. She tuned out what the nurse said, feeling uneasy. Without even meaning to, she mumbled something, "Takeshi…"

"Hm?" The nurse blinked her eyes.

"Huh?" Tsena looked at her, before finally registering what she said. With a heavy blush, she shook her head, ignoring the pounding headache, "N-Nothing!"

"If by 'Takeshi', you mean the cute black-haired boy who came to visit you, he left." The nurse smirked slyly as Tsena's blush increased.

"C-C-C-C-Cute?" She stammered out, eyes widening. Who called him cute? She didn't!

"You don't think he's cute?" She blinked her eyes innocently.

"I-I _what_?"

"Well, he _is_ a cutie, wouldn't you say?"

"H-He is?"

"He's not?"

"No, he is!"

"Oh, is he?"

"Yes! No! I-I mean…!" Tsena groaned, pulling the covers over her head. She can't believe it; some lady she didn't even know was teasing her about Yamamoto.

"Is he yours?" The nurse asked, that teasing smirk still on her face.

"Is he _what_?"

"He's not? Can I have him?"

"Y-You want – no, you can't!" Tsena glared at the lady, watching as she raised a hand to her mouth to hide her giggle.

"I'm only joking… partially." She coughed, fanning herself and looking away.

"I want out." Tsena pulled the blankets off, jumping out of bed. Unfortunately for her, her legs felt like jelly. With a cry, she fell back into bed.

"You shouldn't move around too much," the nurse mumbled seriously, frowning, "Your body is still recovering from the poison."

"Poison…?" Tsena closed her eyes, trying to remember. With a gasp, she did. "Chisuke!" She jumped back to her feet, forcing her legs to work as she attempted to run out the door, "If he's here, so is Ken and _him_!"

"Whoa, calm down, there." The nurse wrapped her fingers around her upperarm just as Tsena was trying to dash out the door. "You can't leave yet; the doctor hasn't given you the okay to."

The turquoise-head didn't care. She had to go, she had to find them. 'Tsuna, Dera-kun, Takeshi… Don't you guys dare be doing anything stupid! You have no idea how scary the people you're messing with is!'

* * *

><p>"Well? How is he?" Mukuro asked, watching as Azuki whipped Chisuka with a damp towel.<p>

"He should be awake soon." And as if to confirm what she said, Chisuka groaned.

"Rokudo Mukuro-sama…" The beanie-wearer managed to groan out.

"So you've awakened." Mukuro watched as Azuki helped Chisuka sit up, "It seems that hunting her was hard work, Chikusa. Still the rowdy mess from before?"

Chisuka looked away, pushing his glasses up his nose, "No… she's more composed now…"

"Oya? That girl never showed much self-control… Wonder what changed." He spoke as if he didn't know, but with that smirk of his on his face, it was hard to tell what he was thinking. It was silent for a moment, before Chisuka looked back at Mukuro.

"I made contact with the Vongola Boss."

"It seems so. They're come here to play with us." Mukuro stood up, walking forward, "Ken's been beaten." Without much of a second thought, Chisuka was jumping out of bed.

"Don't be in such a rush," Azuki mumbled, resting a hand on his shoulder and stopping him. "You're still not well."

"You have nothing to worry about, Chisuka." Mukuro turned his head, "Our reinforcements have arrived." The four-eyed boy turned to see what Mukuro was looking at, seeing a group of others in the room as well. His eyes swept over them, before tensely resting on a certain individual.

"Why have you come?" Even though he was looking at that one, he spoke to all of them.

"To work, of course!" The only girl amongst the group answered, holding a finger up. "Mukuro-chan pays the best!"

"You should get plenty of rest, Chikusa." Mukuro moved his eyes to look at Chisuka, his head still towards the group, "Let's leave Vongola's team to them." Chisuka nodded his head, laying back down. Before long, he was out. Mukuro nodded to the group, indicating they were free to go. Azuki looked at Mukuro, before following after the group.

First to find Tsuna and his group was M.M., who the one she recognized as Poison Scorpion took out. Next, Birds stood in their way. He was more tricky to deal with, since he had the two Bloody Twins out on their friends. She was wary to find out how they were going to get out of this one, but it turns out Reborn had planned for this. Trident Shamal was there protecting one girl, while two others were protecting another. Azuki smirked when they knocked Birds down a notch. Needless to say, she didn't exactly like the fellow.

"Stop hiding and come out," Bianchi demanded, making Azuki tense. Did she finally sense her? She was sure she'd been hiding her presence well. "I know you're there." Azuki turned and looked at her from her hiding place, before noticing Bianchi wasn't looking in her direction. "If you don't come out, I'm coming." The others waited tensely, wondering if whoever was there was friend or foe. The bushes rattled before a small voice was hurt.

"W-Wait. It's me." Futa peeked out from behind a tree, looking at them. Azuki's eyebrows knitted together.

'Futa?' What was he doing?

"Futa!"

"Here?"

"Did he run away from them?" The youngest three looked relieved, smiling at the boy.

"In any case, I'm glad! You're looking good!" The one called Tsuna grinned at Futa, looking the more relieved. Futa shifted his gaze, managing to catch Azuki's. He gasped softly and quickly looked away. Tsuna ran up to him, "Everyone's here, so don't worry! Let's go home together."

"Stay away, Tsuna-nii," Futa mumbled quietly, though loud enough to be heard. Tsuna stopped and blinked his eyes, confused. "I can't go back with you guys."

"What're you saying…?" Tsuna asked, frowning.

"I'm sticking with Mukuro-san." The little boy was reluctant to say it, that much was certain. It was evident in the tears he had threatening to fall, the way his voice cracked. He ran away, Tsuna calling and chasing after him. Gokudera and Yamamoto started to follow, but that thought was quickly trashed aside as a large metal beam zoomed right by them.

The two turned to face their new enemy, the one they knew as Rokudo Mukuro.

* * *

><p>After much complaining, insisting, and over all annoying-ness, Tsena was finally discharged from the hospital. She ran home, not caring that the doctors and nurses were yelling that she was supposed to be taking it easy. She kicked open her door, shouting out her brother's name. Her heart raced faster when she got no reply.<p>

"Tsena-san, nihao!"

"Uwah!" Tsena jumped, looking to see I-Pin giving her a confused look. "I-Pin! Do you know where Tsuna is?" I-Pin paused and nodded her head.

"Baka-Tsuna, Ahodera, Yamamoto, and Reborn all went off to play with those bad people that keep kicking everyone's butts!" Lambo jumped up beside I-Pin, looking at Tsena. "Nee, Tsena, are you going to go play, too?"

"Where are they?" Tsena demanded, ignoring Lambo's question. It took Lambo lots of promises of sweet candy and begging to later tell her where her friends were. With that, Tsena caught the first bus to Kokuyo Land and ran forward. Tsena couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched, but she ignored it the best she could.

"Tsuna! Reborn-san! Bianchi! Dera-kun! Yama-kun!" She called out, hoping and praying someone would answer her. Her running slowed to a jog when she noticed how tattered and torn the ground was. A battlefield, no doubt. Frowning, Tsena called to her friends again, cupping her mouth before cupping an ear and waiting tensely for an answer. The bushes nearby shuffled, catching her attention. Tsena raced over, her breath catching in her throat. "Y-Yama-kun!"

Finally, she found someone. And even better, it was Yamamoto. Tsena skidded to a halt beside the boy, grimacing when she noticed the bandages around his arm, "Oh, Yama-kun…" She reached forward, tracing his face with her gloved hands. He seemed fine, for the most part. The one beside him looked way worse in comparison, but she still grimaced and felt guilty. While she was resting in a hospital, Yamamoto and the others were out risking their lives…

"Well, well, this is a surprise…" Tsena tensed, swiftly standing up and bracing herself. An older woman was walking towards her, her hair the purest shade of white Tsena had ever seen. It was short, saved for the long strands framing her face and the pair of long hairs at the back of her head. Her eyes were pale blue and she wore a uniform Tsena recognized as the green female Kokuyo Middle uniform.

"Who're you?" Tsena demanding, pulling Yamamoto's bat from it's sheath and holding it defensively in front of her. The lady stopped walking a few feet in front of her, face unwavered.

"Chikusa poisoned you. How're you able to move around? You're supposed to be dead."

"Who cares? Looks like I'm standing now, and I feel better than ever!" As if to prove her point, she swung Yamamoto's bat around, watching as it turned into a sword. Tsena was slightly surprised she managed to pull that off, before getting into a fighting stance.

Azuki watched her, face blank. By the looks of it, Tsena's held a blade before. She was poised to both attack and defend, holding the blade steadily in her hands.

"You want to fight?" Azuki raised an eyebrow, tilting her head. Tsena's eyes narrowed, watching as Azuki reached back behind her and pulled out a short metal tube. She spun it around and the turquoise-head was amazed to see it grow, now standing taller than Azuki.

'This isn't gonna be easy…'

"Ready, Nesta?" Tsena flinched.

"H-How do you know that name…?" She mumbled, gripping the sword in her hand tighter. Azuki smirked, eyes twinkling with knowledge she shouldn't have. When she offered no reply, Tsena charged.

* * *

><p>... Well geez, it's been forever and a day since I uploaded |D Well, I could make up all the excuses in the world, but let's not :D Here's a (horribly, extremely short) chapter. lol who knows when the next one'll be out? T:<p> 


	11. Brain Games

**Ball 10:  
><strong>**Brain Games**

She was strong. Hell, she was beyond strong. The toughest person Tsena had ever fought. With a cry, she was knocked backwards, sent flying next to Yamamoto. Already covered in aches and bruises, it was annoying. Tsena hated it, hated when she was so weak in comparison. She growled, glaring at Azuki. Not even a scratch… How could that be? Tsena was sure she'd smacked her a few times, but apparently, it was false hope. She was outwitted and outmatched, in every possible way.

"Had enough?" Her voice was even, no signs of exhaustion at all. Tsena was panting, much to her irritation.

"You wish," Tsena growled, staggering to her feet and whipping the blood from the corner of her lips. Azuki sighed softly, looking towards the main building of Kokuyo Land.

"Your friends need your help." The turquoise-head twitched. "They're almost at him… It's almost the climax of this adventure for them." Azuki looked back at Tsena, "Will you continue to waste your time here, knowing you have no chance, or would you rather go to them?"

A choice. Tsena was given a choice of either running away or fighting a pointless battle. She hated both options, the thought of running away making her feel like a coward though Azuki had a point: this battle _was_ senseless. Better to go help her friends than die for some stupid reason. She casted Yamamoto a glance, glaring at Azuki soon after. She retracted her staff, fixing it back in her shirt.

"I won't touch them. You have my word." She stood there, defenseless, giving Tsena the chance to attack her. Their eyes met and Azuki knew Tsena wouldn't attack her. With a grunt and a heavy glare, Tsena ran off towards the building.

* * *

><p>Gokudera was feeling confident. He'd managed to one-up Chikusa, leaving him victorious. Unfortunately for him, he didn't count on the attack from behind. A claw hand crashed through the window behind him, reaching forward and piercing his chest.<p>

"You were wide open." He knew that voice. It was the one Yamamoto battled.

"You're alright," Chikusa stated, and if you squinted, you could've seen him look a bit more relief, though his face was blank.

"I thought I was about to die, though." Ken jumped in through the window, sticking his tongue out as he laughed. "Take that, you moron!" Gokudera backed away, falling backwards through a curtain and down a flight of stairs. "How uncool!"

Gokudera tried to make his body move, but it wouldn't. It felt heavier than before, probably due to that damned side effect of Shamal's Trident Mosquito. He watched as a fluffy yellow bird flew overhead, landing nearby. "Beaten! Beaten!" It chirped, seeming to also be laughing at him. Damn thing.

"Ken! Chisuke!" Gokudera couldn't believe his ears. He managed to open his eyes, seeing the wide-eyed girl standing behind Chikusa and Ken, at the head of the stairs. "Dera-kun!"

"Onee-sama…?" What was she doing out of the hospital? Even Chikusa looked a tad bit surprised.

"That can't be… I poisoned her. She shouldn't be moving."

"Keh! Kakipi, did you go easy on her, knowing it was Nesta?" Ken scolded, glaring at the four-eyes.

"I'll fix my mistake then…" Chikusa turned to Tsena, who held Yamamoto's sword at him. He noticed and paused. Ken grunted, glaring at Tsena.

"No fair, you had your fun with her. I wanna turn now!" Without even waiting for a reply, he charged right by Chikusa and knocked right into Tsena. She fell backwards, holding Ken back at the teeth with the sword. Somewhere in his charge he'd managed to activate his Wolf Channel.

"_Midori tanabiku Namimori no. Dai naku shou naku, name ga ii~_" It caught Gokudera's attention. He looked up at the yellow bird, noticing from the corner of his eye something metal that looked very familiar. With a lot of effort, he managed to throw a dynamite behind him, catching Chikusa and Ken's attention. Noticing the werewolf on top of her was distracted, Tsena grabbed his shoulders and pulled him close, rolling back a bit to lift her legs under his stomach and fly him off.

"You're the only one who lives our school song that much," Gokudera managed a short chuckle, watching as the smoke cleared.

"Namimori Middle School Disciplinary Committee Chairman, Hibari Kyoya." Hearing Hibari's name, Tsena turned and looked. Sure enough, their missing demon was there, resting against the wall. His body was frayed, cuts and injuries decorating his skin, but his eyes still held that unwavering calmness as they always did. While distracted, though, Ken took the opportunity to slash at Tsena's arm, cutting through fabric and skin and knocking the sword far away. Tsena grunted, dropping to one knee and holding her arm.

"Bastard." Tsena glared at Ken. He just smirked wolfishly and laughed. Tsena looked at the sword from the corner of her eye. Ken moved, so did Tsena. She pushed her already aching body faster, shoulder knocking into Ken and sending him astray. She grabbed the sword and jabbed at Ken, but he was quick. He managed to dodge the attack, sliding under it and towards Tsena. He reached a claw hand out, ready to attack her belly.

A painful _twack!_ sounded before Tsena cried out, falling to her butt and holding her head. Tears were threatening to fall as she glared childishly at Hibari, biting her pouting bottom lip.

"W-What was that for, Hibar-san?" She snapped. Hibari had knocked her out of the way, kicking Ken to the side.

"You were in the way." Was his simple reply, not even looking at her.

'You asshole!' Tsena wanted to shout, but Hibari was out for blood. She knew it. He had been defeated (Why else would he be locked up?) and Tsena knew better than anyone what happened when that happened. It meant revenge, death to whoever stood in his way, friend or foe.

"Onee-sama!" Gokudera was at her side, checking her injury. Tsena held her arm up, showing him. He sighed in relief, "Well, he didn't hit a main artery… In fact, looks like he just grazed your skin…" He reached in his pocket, pulling out a roll of bandages.

"… Was probably holding back," Tsena mumbled, watching as Gokudera wrapped her arm.

"That should hold it." Gokudera looked to where Hibari was. Tsena turned, too, not at all paying attention. "You know them, don't you." Not even a question. "Nesta." Tsena averted her eyes, finding the wall beside her interesting. "You're actually more involved with the mafia than you let on, aren't you." Another question meant more as a statement.

"… It's not nice to ask questions you already know the answer to," Tsena grunted, reaching for Yamamoto's bat. To her surprise, Gokudera pushed it away, standing between her and the bat. She glared at him. He glared back. He saw her as an enemy. "What do you think you're doing?"

"How do I know you're not really on their side?" He growled accusingly, holding a few dynamites at the ready. "How do I know everything I know about you isn't a lie?"

Tsena stood up, meeting his eyes, "I'm not your enemy, Gokudera." No nickname, no suffix, nothing to show they were familiar. Right at this moment, Gokudera saw her as a traitor, someone who would probably try and kill him, to side back with her old friends. "But you're right; everything you know about me is a lie." Tsena held his gaze, even when his eyes narrowed even more and burned with mistrust and uncertainty. "I'm not Sawada Tsena, I'm not Tsuna's sister, I'm not a normal high school girl, I know about the mafia life."

"You're not getting your hands on this bat."

"Even if everything you know about me is a lie, Gokudera, everything you know about me is _real_." Tsena wasn't sure if that even made sense, "My feelings, my connections, my thoughts, memories, troubles, everything we've been through so far were all sincere. I mean no harm; I _am_ on your side. I _care_ about Tsuna as if he were my brother, I look to you as a friend, I think of Yamamoto as a really dear friend. That's all real, that's all present. Everything from before… it's all in the past."

He was still tense, poised for the offensive, ready to kill if he thought she was threatening. The turquoise-head, very slowly, walked forward, never breaking eye contact with Gokudera. She broke it only to bend down and pick up Yamamoto's bat, swinging it over to rest on her shoulder. Their eyes met again, and even though Gokudera still looked doubtful, he relaxed his stance. As soon as he did, though, his legs felt like jelly.

He started to fall to the ground, but Tsena caught him. The gray-head didn't look at her, instead opting to glare at the ground. She didn't mind. After all, she understood how he felt at the moment. He wanted nothing to do with her but needed her – for Tsuna's sake. After this whole ordeal was over, he would demand answers and he would be damned if Tsena didn't give them.

* * *

><p>Mukuro gave Reborn a smirk, despite being puzzled. His instincts made him jump, turning and deflecting the opposing tonfas that were thrown at him.<p>

"Juudaime! Please get down!" At the call of his name, Tsuna opened his eyes, just in time to see dynamites falling right for him.

"Tsuna!" He felt arms around him as he was pushed and rolled out of the way, the dynamites exploding just as they made their escape. Tsuna turned back to the entrance, seeing Gokudera and Hibari, both looking like they were replying on the other to stand.

"Sorry we're late," Gokudera apologized weakly, managing an apathetic look in his direction.

"Hibari-san! Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna was abatement. At least they were okay. Still, that left the question of who it was that saved him… The brunet turned his head, eyes going wide at who it was.

"Hey, Tsuna." Tsena gave an awkward grin, tilting her head to the side.

"Ts-Tsena!" Tsuna was over the top overjoyed that she was alright. He even crushed her in a hug, not even hearing her soft "ow, ow, ow"s as Tsuna squished her injured arm, showing her just how much she had worried him.

"Do you understand, Mukuro?" Reborn spoke up, looking at the boy, "I didn't raise only Tsuna." The one he called Mukuro narrowed his eyes and grunted, annoyed.

"I've paid you back now." Hibari gave Gokudera a vexed look, literally tossing the boy aside.

"Ow!" Gokudera cried, falling to a painful heap on the ground. Tsena managed to laugh at him, Tsuna surprised that Hibari just did that.

"Oya, oya, there's a lot of spectators today," Mukuro hummed, looking at Tsena, "And look who one of them is: dear, sweet Nesta, all grown up." Tsena's mirth left her immediately as she tensely met Mukuro's heterochromic eyes.

"Mukuro-sama…" She mumbled, feeling mixed emotions stirring in her. She was alleviated, she would admit, that he was doing… well. After all, he was the one who saved her so back in the past, saved them all. She owed her life to him.

"Oya, what's this? Are those tears in your eyes?" Tsena winced, raising a hand to her eyes. She couldn't believe it. He was right; she _was_ crying! Tsena quickly looked away, rubbing at her eyes. He smiled tenderly at her, "It's okay, Nesta… The feeling is mutual." What did he mean by that? Tsena looked at him from the corner of her eyes, turning her head fully away from him. She caught Gokudera's gaze and grimaced. That distrust was back, burning to an almost hateful look. From the corner of her eye, she saw Hibari charge at Mukuro.

"Tsena…" Tsuna mumbled, catching the girl's attention, "… Do you know Mukuro?" Tsena almost flinched. Almost. She didn't though, for whatever reason. In fact, she was unmoved as she looked Tsuna right in the eye and nodded her head.

"Yes, I do know Mukuro-sama." Tsuna was surprised. She looked so confident, so sure of herself, stating that she knew a murderer as if they were old classmates. "Mukuro-sama is…" Tsena hesitated, looking away. "He's my savior…" Tsuna was speechless. He had nothing to say, his mind just went numb on him. How could a guy like Mukuro be anything but a killer? He opened his mouth, wanting to say something – _anything_ – but nothing came out. Instead, Tsena turned back to the fight. She watched as Hibari managed to defeat Mukuro, and she fought the urge to rush to his side.

It was confusing. Honestly, Tsena thought she would be… scared, terrified at the feeling of seeing her old friends, but she wasn't. In fact, despite herself, Tsena was ecstatic to see them, to see they were doing "alright". She found herself wanting to be near them, _with_ them, she wanted to be around people who understood her like they did. She knew her, they knew Nesta, they knew the _real_ Tsena. And no matter how hard she fought to cast such feelings aside, it was still there. She missed her old friends, she missed being with them. She _wanted_ to be with them.

Which is exactly why Tsena tensed when Mukuro revealed that same shining white gun. That gun, those experiments, her painful past… How hard she tried to forget, how little the others understood.

"Arrivederci." Mukuro's smile was haunting as he shot himself, falling to the ground.

"He shot himself…!" Gokudera couldn't believe it.

"Why did he do it?" Tsuna was just as clueless.

"Maybe he would rather die than be caught," Reborn reasoned, looking at Tsena. His eyes narrowed a bit, suspiciously. The girl was shaking, on her hands and knees, staring at Mukuro's body with wide-eyes. She looked like she wanted to run, but he had to question it: did she want to run _to_ Mukuro, or away?

"Yare, yare," a voice mumbled, walking into the room. The group turned, seeing Azuki leaning against the doorframe, "Now you've done it."

"Who're you?" Gokudera demanded, glaring wickedly. Azuki raised a hand.

"Relax. I'm on no one's side –"

"But your own, as usual." Everyone was surprised when Reborn said this, turning to the white-head, "It's been a while. I hear you call yourself 'Azuki' now."

Azuki smirked, meeting Reborn's gaze, "Indeed it has. You're looking good."

"Don't test me." Reborn's eyes narrowed.

"You should be more concerned about –" Azuki stepped aside, a plate full of poisonous food meeting the wall where she was, "Alright, alright, gosh, I'll be quiet."

"Aneki!" The gray-head turned to his sister, surprised to see her up. Tsena stared at Bianchi, slowly backing away. She knew what was coming. Gokudera went to help his sister, falling victim as well. Tsena fought herself, resisting the urge to step forward.

_I want to help him…_

'No, I-I don't!'

She didn't have the chance to argue. Unfortunately, she was the next target.

* * *

><p>Tsena had to wonder how long she'd been out. She could feel and hear it all, but she just had little control over her body. Well, actually, she had none. Mukuro used her, but she didn't mind. Anything for Mukuro, whatever he wanted. Her savior, her God.<p>

Maybe it was because she was so damn exhausted that she thought of him like that. She was spiraled on her back, staring at the ceiling. The more she thought about it, the more true it seemed. Mukuro was unlike any other human she knew.

"He's not dead, is he?" Tsena wanted to laugh. Something like this… No, this wouldn't be the death of Mukuro, she knew it. "Is he alright?"

'Only you would be so concerned about your enemy, Tsuna…' Mukuro was right: Tsuna wa_s_ an amusing person. Her eyes slid over to Azuki, who was watching everyone's moments from the couch in the room. She was interesting, too. She even knew Reborn.

"Stay away from him!" Tsena was barely able to make out Ken's voice; it was so raspy, laced with pain and determination. He was determined to keep Tsuna away from Mukuro. Tsena wanted to, too. "Don't you mafia touch him!"

"Leave him alone…" Tsena rolled onto her feet, staggering over to Mukuro's side. She had the strength to stand, compared to Chikusa and Ken, who were both literally clawing their way to Mukuro. Tsuna stared at all three, confused, and even a little hurt that Tsena was siding with Mukuro.

"Why?" He asked, "Why do you go so far for Mukuro?" He asked Chikusa and Ken, before looking at Tsena dead in the eye, "And why do you side with him?" Tsena's strength failed her as soon as Mukuro was in arm's distance. She collapsed to the ground, the fabric of his shirt just out of reach. "You were possessed and used by Mukuro!"

"Anything... for Mukuro-sama…" It came out so easily. Tsena was done fighting herself, trying to fight who she was.

"Don't talk to us like you understand," Chisuka mumbled out.

"This is nothing," Ken swayed to his feet, his legs shaking, "compared to the suffering we endured back then."

"Back then?" Tsuna repeated, looking from Ken to Chikusa and finally Tsena.

"What happened?" Reborn wanted to know, "Why do you hate the mafia so much?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Tsena almost spat out weakly, curling herself into a ball beside Mukuro, her head to his side. "If you knew that they did to us, how they treated us…" She shivered.

"We were used as guinea pigs for human experimentation by our own Family," Ken answered Reborn's question point blank, his eyes shining with sadistic humor, the grin on his face dark. Reborn looked at Tsena.

"That day when you and Yamamoto fell off the roof, your arm broke and Yamamoto's magically healed. Same arm, same injury." Tsena curled herself more into a ball, "You're originally from Italy, too." Tsena bit her lip. Reborn noticed. "Just as I suspected. You're members of the Estraneo Family that created the forbidden Possession Bullet."

"You guys made it forbidden out of your own convenience," Ken grunted, that dark look still on his face. "Becaused of that, our family was being completely destroyed." Tsena closed her eyes, remembering the fear she had. Her father shot in the street, her brother gutted on a mission, her mother and sisters burning to their deaths in the fire that engulfed her house, leaving her the only one alive. She should've died with them, but she didn't. She was 'saved'. "The cornered heads of the Family began developing special weapons to survive. Children in the Family were gathered together for those experiments."

"You can't imagine what it feels like," Tsena whispered, "Every day, you heard your family's screams, their agony never ending, their pain… We were alone, all alone. No one to rely on but each other, and let's face it… We were all just a bunch of kids, no one listened or cared about us. Every time you close your eyes, it's still there."

_Nesta sat with her back to the wall, tears falling from her eyes. She listened as Ken screamed, crying out for them to stop, that it hurt, that he didn't want to die. None of them wanted any part of this, no one wanted to die. She sniffed, rubbing her tears and running away. She couldn't stand it; she hated when her usually funny, strong Ken was hysterical like this. She ran by many rooms, each one having a single or more of her family screaming and crying, begging for it to stop. She gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and choked on her own tears._

_She found Chikusa in a corner, bandages around his head as he stared blankly at the wall. He was without hope, too. Nesta frowned, sitting down beside him and leaning against him. Chikusa didn't blink, but he rested his head on her shoulder. Every one of them needed support; Chikusa, Ken, Nesta, the others… They relied on each other to be strong. Sometime later a barely breathing Ken was thrown into the room with them, eyes puffy, face red. The door closed, leaving them alone._

_Nesta race to his side, grabbing his hand and petting his head, soothing the aching boy. Her frown deepened, dry tears in her eyes as Ken mumbled nonsense, tears still falling from his eyes. How much more of this could they take…?_

Tsena opened her eyes, staring at Mukuro's camouflage shirt, "You can never escape."

"Day after day of cruel experiments… We had no way to escape." No escape until that day…

"_What are you doing?"_

"_Stop!"_

_Chikusa, Ken, and Nesta stared anxiously at the door, hearing the shouting and screaming of the adults. They shared looks, Chikusa and Nesta visibly shaking. Ken gulped unconsciously, being the first to move. He stood up, Chikusa, who had been gripping the back of his shirt, following next. The blonde boy held his hand for Nesta, who took it. Together, Nesta still holding Ken's hand and Chikusa holding his shirt, both close to the blonde's sides, they walked out their room._

_It was quiet, which was new. Usually, someone was being experimented on, someone was begging for their death. They shared looks, Ken summoning up his courage and leading the way out. They walked down familiar hallways, all quiet, until stopping at one door. They gasped, eyes going wide._

"But he… He destroyed our current existence all by himself! He was the quiet one that never drew your attention. I think that was the first time I heard his voice."

"_Kufufu…" He chuckled, shoulders moving with the action. Every little thing he did caught their attention, when usually he was just so quiet, such a wallflower. Around him, everything was dyed crimson red – blood red. Nesta couldn't help but to stare. She felt sick, the metallic scent of blood intoxicating her. "A world not even worth taking." Her eyes snapped back to the boy, "It'd be best to destroy it all."_

"That moment, for the first time in our lives…"

_Mukuro turned to the trio, an angelic smile on his face. "Would you like to come with me?"_

"We had a place to be." When Ken next spoke, there was a growl laced in his voice, "I won't let you destroy that!" Tsuna's eyes, which had been wide as Ken shared their story, slowly softened. He looked at Tsena, noticing the small tears escaping from her eyes. So that's what her life was like before… He had to wonder why she didn't go with Mukuro and her family.

"But…" Tsuna closed his eyes, looking away from his sister, "I can't… sit and watch as my friends get hurt. Because… that's my place to be." He opened his eyes, looking at Ken. The blonde and blunet gritted their teeth, hating how Tsuna used Ken's words against him. Still, they understand – even if they didn't like it.

"Fuck." The teenagers were surprised to hear Azuki growl this out, jumping to her feet. They looked towards the door, Tsuna's serious nature turning to relief.

"The medical team!" How wrong he was. Metal collars attached to chains flew from the men in black at the door, snapping around Chikusa, Ken, and Mukuro's necks. One headed for Azuki but she knocked it aside, diving for the window and busting through it. She'd be damned if they took her back.

"That was fast," Reborn mumbled intensely.

"Ken! Chisuke! Mukuro-sama!" Tsena held a hand out to them, gasping when she felt a chain around her neck, too.

"_You wish to go with them?"_ Tsena wasn't sure if it was a voice in her head or if they were actually speaking.

"Tsena!" Tsuna exclaimed, watching as the men pulled a kicking and screaming Tsena to them. "Who are they?"

"Vendicare," Reborn's eyes narrowed, "protectors of mafia law. They punish those who cannot be punished by law."

"You can't take me in!" Tsena was hyperventilating. She's heard the stories, she knows how deep and dark Vendicare was. She didn't want to go there, no. She had a place to be, she still had someone to see. "K-Kyuudaime said I didn't have to go to Vendicare, that I was protected! Don't take me there – please! I didn't do anything, this isn't justice!" They didn't listen to her, only jerking the chains around her neck and dragging her away.

"Tsena!" Tsuna shouted again, racing for her.

"Tsuna!" Tsena held a hand out for him, tears falling from her eyes.

'Please, no, anything but Vendicare! I don't want to go! I can't!'

She still wanted to see Takeshi…

* * *

><p>*feels proud* *exhales dramatically* Feels nice being able to write -w- I missed it XD lol I'm surprised you guys think Tsena should have Sky flames X'D lol wouldnt it seem Mary-Sue? *not that I particularly care TROLLOLOL* XD lol and Tsena being Fran's sister... The idea has started to sprout... *let's add to the Mary-Sue-ness LOL*<p>

lol thanks everyone for review :'D How you put up with all this waiting is beyond me... IM SORRY ;A; I AM NOT WORTHY! *seppuku* Anywho, since I havent uplaoded in like... months? Two updates ftw XD Since I didnt have the time to finish them in one day LOL *heart*


	12. Echo Again

**Echo Again**

Yamamoto leaned against his window, the cold surface pressing against his cheek as he stared out at the distant lights of the city. He sighed, closing his eyes as he clenched his hand. In it the letter Tsuna gave him from Tsena crumbled. He lessened his grip and lifted the paper, reading the words using the moonlight from outside.

_The moon between the tall building  
><em>_Floats on the window of the dark room_

He had lost count of the many times he's read it, as if it were a chant. He was sure he had it memorized, though. The words floated in his brain, never stopping and clouding his thoughts. If only Tsena were here now… With that thought, he sighed.

_The letter I received from you faraway  
><em>_Secretly, I recited it_

The raven-head wondered where his Tsena was. It'd been almost a month since she disappeared, and it's getting to him. Whenever he closed his eyes, he would see her. Every time he called out to her, Tsena would turn to him and smile. Every time he ran to her, Tsea would hold her arms out for him. Every time she was within his reach, his arms circling and almost encasing her to him, she would vanish and leave him chilled.

Yamamoto frowned and opened his eyes. He wanted to see her again, to touch her, hold her, kiss her. To be with her more. As he turned his gaze to the stars, he prayed his hopes crossed the night and reached her.

'I miss you, Tsena…'

_You who see the traveling me off  
><em>_Inside those eyelids, I blur out and disappear_

Next day at school, Yamamoto stared at Tsena's empty desk.

"_Ahahaha, you're more dead this morning than usual, Tsena!"_

"_Hush, you baseball nut…"_

He sighed and turned his eyes forward, staring blankly at the teacher.

"_Sensei gave you a wrong score?"_

"… _Maybe."_

"_You should've said something to him, Tsena."_

"_But but but –"_

"_No buts. Tomorrow, you're going to tell Sensei he graded you test wrong, 'kay?"_

"… _Oh-kaaaaay."_

Tsuna couldn't but to stare at Yamamoto. Ever since the Kokuyo incident, the baseball nut hadn't been smiling as much, and every time he did, it was a small, forced one. He wasn't like his usual cheerful self and it made Tsuna sad, too. Yamamoto sighed, causing the brunet to frown. That sad smile was on his face again.

_Cross the nights that wants to meet, more  
><em>_Wanting to tough you more  
><em>_Anytime, the darkness inside me, if it's not you, it won't disappear_

"Uhh, ne, Yamamoto…" The small, uneasy voice of Tsuna knocked the boy out of his daydream.

"Hm?" He turned to the boy, blinking his eyes.

"I wanted to know if you uhh… were gonna join me and Gokudera-kun for lunch today…" Tsuna looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. Yamamoto smiled at him. He knew he was only trying to help, but…

"Ahaha, I'd love to but I got a club activity meeting to go to." Yamamoto managed a small, toothy grin as he stood up, stretching his arms out. "Haha, thanks for the offer and sorry, maybe next time."

"Uhh… y-yeah…" Tsuna nodded his head, watching as Yamamoto left, waving over his shoulder. Tsuna's frown deepened.

"It's okay, Juudaime!" Tsuna jumped as Gokudera's booming voice. He turned to see the gray-head giving him a large grin, "We can have loads of fun without that yakyu-baka!"

_Yakyu-baka_… Tsena was the one who called Yamamoto that. Tsuna grimaced. He remembered a time he was scared senseless of the girl. She was rash, violent, and unreasonable.

"_Tsuna… Do… Do you hate me…?"_

Had Tsuna ever hated Tsena, he wondered. 'Hate' was a strong word, but he never hated Tsena. Frightened greatly sure, but never hate.

"_You scared me with your temper and your crazy antics, but you've changed. You're no longer scary or short-tempered; you're kind and tolerant."_

And it's true: Tsena _had_ changed. It was Yamamoto who changed her.

_The thing that I want to tell, surely  
><em>_Only words can mundane love_

Gokudera frowned at the melancholy look on Tsuna's face. He missed his 'sister', the bomber supposed. He turned his gaze to Tsena's empty desk.

"_So, you like the baseball idiot, right?"_

"_W-What? No! I-I mean, yeah, he's my best friend, but I don't _like_ him…"_

"_I just said 'like'. If the first thing you thought of was _liking_ him, than yeah, you _like_ him."_

'Tch…' Gokudera turned his head. Like his precious 10th and his Okaa-sama, he held Tsena at the highest regard. She was (he thought) Tsuna's sister, after all, his cherished boss! As his right-hand man, it was his duty to respect his boss's family.

"_But you're right; everything you know about me is a lie."_

It turned out that, like everything else in his life, Tsena wasn't who he thought she was. His staring turned into a glare before he scoffed and turned his head. Still, a little part of him missed her. After all, without the turquoise-head around, both that baseball maniac _and_ his beloved Boss were sad (though, Yamamoto he could care less about. Seeing him sad, though, made Tsuna sad, and he couldn't have that).

"J-Juudaime!" As his right-hand man, it was Gokudera's job to cheer up his boss, "L-Let's just have lunch together and leave that baseball idiot to himself!"

Tsuna sweatdropped. Talk about adding salt to the wound. He managed a smile, though. It couldn't be helped; Gokudera was still Gokudera.

And besides, he knew the bomber missed Tsena more then he would admit.

_I don't want to miss you anymore  
><em>_Just like lovely thoughts, echo again_

Yamamoto kindly rejected another girl's offer to keep him company as he ascended up to the roof.

"Yare, yare," he mumbled to himself as he opened the door, "didn't know so many people cared." He stretched, soaking in the warm rays of the sun, enjoying the breeze of the wind, and inhaled the clean, fresh air. He exhaled and walked forward, a small smile on his face. That smile turned to a grimace, though, when he saw the fences surrounding the roof. The school had made it taller, so it towered over him.

'Didn't want a repeat, like that time…'

"_Yamamoto, you jerk! This isn't funny…! What the hell are you saying? What're you even thinking? Stop it, now!"_

He'd never heard Tsena so desperate… His frown deepened as the events of that day played in his head. God, what _was_ he thinking? He did have a lot to live for, his friends, his dad, all the people who cared and would miss him…

"_It's okay, Tsena. You'll live without me."_

Yeah, right. Yamamoto was starting to lose it, and it's only been 29 days! Tsena still had the rest of her life, and she would have had to face this feeling he was? Gosh, how stupid. How could he say that to her, with a smile, nonetheless!

He recalled the kiss they shared and laughed humorlessly. Wow, what a sucky first kiss, too. Man, he was just full of fail…!

"Hey."

"Hm?" Yamamoto looked over his shoulder to see Hibari on a higher roof. "Oh, Hibari?"

"Where's Sawada Tsena?" He asked, narrowing his eyes slightly, "It's against school rule's to miss so many school days."

Yamamoto had to laugh at that. "Something came up and she had to leave to her hometown." It wasn't a lie; Tsena probably _was_ in Italy… Hibari grunted, seeming a tad bit unsatisfied with his answer, before he laid back down and, most likely, went back to sleep.

_Every time after the long phone  
><em>_I forgot and thought about the promise  
><em>_At the night and tomorrow's collision sit  
><em>_I'll wait for us to reunite and meet in the middle of the dream_

"Yamamoto! That was amazing back there! You totally rocked!"

"Yeah, Yamamoto, good game!" They cheered and laughed, slinging arms around the boy and over all, just merry. Yamamoto managed a small grin, nodding his head and laughing.

"Ahahaha, thanks! You did great, too!" He was happy, sure he was, but at the same time, felt drained. He'd manage to cover it up, for the most part. After practice, a shower, and a speech from their coach, prepping them for the on-coming game tomorrow, the team was packing up.

"Hey! Wanna go somewhere later on our way home?"

"We should totally go somewhere! Anywhere! C'mon, Yamamoto-kun!"

"Eh?" Yamamoto turned to them, his bag and baseball equipment slung over his shoulder, "Ah… sorry, not tonight." He grinned apologetically, scratching the tip of his nose. "It's getting late and I promised my dad I'd be home early." It wasn't a complete lie; it was getting late, but he just wanted to be alone. They pouted and whined, guilting him into promising to do something later.

With that, the baseball nut was off. He walked slow, not going home directly. His feet guided him, his body following obediently. They took him to Tsuna's house, where the boy paused and stared at it.

"_I break in through you window, not the front door~"_

"_Any _normal_ person would go through the front door!"_

He smiled at the memory. He remembered all the times he ever snuck in through her window, surprising the girl endlessly, and all the fun times they shared.

_Cross the night that can't be met, more  
><em>_If you shine, surely  
><em>_Let out this light, shine and tear off the darkness  
><em>_With that bursting voice, surely_

Without even realizing it, he started to walk again, pausing when he reached a wide, open space beside the cannel. He and Tsena would spend a lot of time alone there together.

He remembered how Tsena had been feeling especially down and was more distant than usual; he had knocked on her window late one night and took her here.

"_Ne, so what's wrong, Tsena?" Yamamoto asked, leaning back and looking at the girl. Tsena was curled close so her knees touched her chest, her face buried in her knees. It was silent at Yamamoto stared at the girl, waiting for an answer. After a long pause, Tsena mumbled something. "Hm?" He tilted his head, indicating he didn't understand._

"_Aren't you… ever scared of the future?" She mumbled softly, frowning. Yamamoto blinked, unsure of what to say. "I mean… like, not knowing what's going to happen and having little control over it… Doesn't it scare you?"_

_Yamamoto hummed, looking up at the sky. "Well, I guess it does, a little…"_

" '_A little'?" Tsena repeated, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Does not knowing not make you scared?"_

_He laughed softly, "Well, not knowing is half the fun!"_

"_Fun…" Tsena mauled it over, face still confused._

"_Haha, well, it's fun only if you explore the unknown with someone!"_

"… _What?" Tsena was absolutely mind-boggled now._

"_Well, you make it sound like you're facing this alone." Yamamoto scratched his cheek, "You're not. Take my hand if you need to. Even if you're somewhere very far away, a place where I can't reach you, and you feel like giving up, I'll never let go of your hand."_

_Tsena stared at him for the longest time. Yamamoto wondered if he shouldn't have said something so stupid. Just when he was about to take it back, Tsena smiled at him. "Is that right…?" She giggled quietly._

"_Yup~" His grin returned, full force, "And I meant it, too."_

"… _You always mean what you say, Yamamoto…" She mumbled, slowly reaching for his hand. Yamamoto was shocked. He didn't actually think she would do it!_

I'll go to your side and escape the night  
>I don't want to miss you anymore<br>If this voice reaches, echo again

_It was the first time Tsena ever willingly grabbed his hand and held it tightly in hers._

_It was the first time Yamamoto ever brushed her tears away without her objecting or glaring at him._

_It was the first time their fingers laced as they sad shoulder-to-shoulder._

_It was the first promise he ever made to her._

_And he would keep it, for all of eternity._

_I just call to you, I'll cross all of the distance  
><em>_You just call to me, you're just close to me  
><em>_The other side of the receiver, the connected night sky  
><em>_We saw the same moon_

Yamamoto sat there for a long time, staring up at the sky. He wanted to be by her side again, to escape this lonesome feeling, to have someone to share the stars with.

'I don't want to miss you anymore…' The more he thought about it, the more it echoed again in him. He wondered if his voice could reach her, that if he called out to her, she'd head him. He'd cross whatever distance to he had to just to hear her call out to him, too.

As he stared up at the sky, he thought of it as a telephone. Tsena was out there somewhere on the other end, staring up at the same moon, sharing the same connected night sky. He hoped she could hear his voice.

_Cross the nights that want to meet, more  
><em>_We are going to be strong, more  
><em>_Not alone, love will always burn in this chest_

As Yamamoto continued home, he thought about what he would do when (if?) he saw her. What would he say? A thought crossed his mind and he chuckled at the irony. No matter what, he was convinced. Even if he was only 15 with his life ahead of him, he was sure he only loved one, that his heart would ache for her and her alone. The burning in his chest was all the evidence he needed.

He would wait forever and a day for Tsena.

"Oyaji, I'm home!" Yamamoto shouted as he walked in, heading for the kitchen. He stared at the white-haired lady making sushi there. "Huh?"

"Good evening, Yamamoto Takeshi." She smiled mysteriously at him. He opened his mouth, but she cut him off, "You should really check out your room." For whatever reason, he felt his heart skip a beat. "You might like what you find."

Yamamoto felt an odd sensation in his chest (was he anxious?) as he turned and nearly ran to his room. He threw the door open and froze.

_Next time we meet, surely  
><em>_We'll look like we're breaking apart  
><em>_I don't want to lose you anymore  
><em>_Please don't vanish away, echo again_

Sitting on his bed was just the person he wanted to see.

"H-Hey, Yama-kun…" Tsena mumbled, standing up and looking awkward.

"Ts-Tsena!" He raced to her and pulled her to him, holding her tightly in his arms. He wished and prayed she didn't vanish in his arms, and was overly delighted when Tsena returned his hug, burying her head in his chest. Yamamoto squeezed her, leaning down to inhale her scent.

"Takeshi…" Tsena whispered, nuzzling his chest. Yamamoto, for once in a long while, grinned widely. He leaned down close to her ear.

"_When I try to tell you how I feel,  
><em>_I can never find the right words to say.  
><em>_But I know the feelings are real,  
><em>_Because I feel them every day.  
><em>_You always know what to do,  
><em>_You seem to know no wrong.  
><em>_Even when I'm mad at you,  
><em>_It's not for very long.  
><em>_So there, I said it,  
><em>_You know my feelings are true  
><em>_So don't think what I say is a lie,  
><em>_Because I truly do love you…_"

"Y-You – that – what the…" Tsena wasn't sure how to replay, her face brightly red, "How did you get that letter!"

Tsena's bright brush was very rewarding.

* * *

><p>lol enjoy OOC Yamamoto~<p>

And trololol, Miss (Mister?) Bells eAe How to reply to you in PM... Oh wait, I cant because you are anonymous, and therefore any statement you make is invalid and classified as 'I dont care kthnx' trololol You should read the rest of the chapters to see that I've somewhat addressed the matter of Tsena's name *that way you can notice that I dont particularly _care_ that her name isnt even Japanese and that I did just indeed change one 'stupid' letter. Do you have a problem with that? No? Didnt think so* ewe And besides, any name can look Japanese if you write it in katakana, like your name, and my name, and Tsena's name, and Bel's name, and Squalo's name, and every other Italian in KHR -A- Kthnxbai (ooo, I sound _so_ mean trololol /insert trollface)


	13. Life Goes On

**Life Goes On**

Tsena had a lot to think about as she stayed huddle in her corner of Vendicare Prison. All around her, hands reached for her. Deformed, frayed, old; hands of all kinds. Tsena long ago thought she would have lost her mind. How many days has it been? What day _was_ it? How many hours passed? Years? _Centuries_? She couldn't tell; everything looked the same. Every time she wanted to, though, something stopped her: a little voice in the back of her head.

Every time she wanted to quit, there was a voice whispering to her, "Don't give up!"

Every time she wanted to sleep and never wake up, the voice would tell her, "Keep fighting!"

Every time she wondered, "What was the point?" that same voice murmured to her, "I want to see you again…"

And a small smile would appear on her face. She had something to return to, someone to see, and things to do.

'Takeshi…'

_During a sad time, is telling you I'm 'sad' being weak?  
><em>_During a tough time, can I confide in you that it's 'tough'?_

Tsena won't lie. There were times she doubted Yamamoto. All she ever did was whine and complain about her life, to tell him when she was feeling down. He rarely confided anything to her – did she ever give him the chance to? She always thought his life was perfect, that he was perfect. How could something so perfect have bumps and cracks in it, right?

Why couldn't Tsena be like him? She didn't want to appear to be weak and tell him when she was sad, and she hated mentioning when she thought things were tough. She wanted to be something as nearly perfect as Yamamoto, her best friend, her first friend, her lover…

She smiled, though.

_I've just got to believe._

Believe she did. She believed Yamamoto was still waiting for her, she believed Yamamoto was thinking of her, she fooled herself with hopes that might have been false, but it kept her going. Was she even really believing in him, she wondered. Even if she said she did, deep down she was still worried. Yamamoto… What did he even see in her?

Her thoughts were dark, she knew it. Tsena blamed the barely lit cage she was trapped in. Her joints were stiff, her skin felt disgusting, her eyes were wide and rarely blinked, her hair was growing long and mangy; she felt horrible, like a hermit. Though, what choice did she have? She was forced to sit around and do nothing, to wait for her sentence. She wasn't even with Chikusa, Ken, or Mukuro: she didn't even know if they were _alive_.

But even when she felt the dark closing in on her, she refused to give in.

One day, they came for her. Tsena was sure she was going to die, that they were taking her away to torment her until she was begging for death. With chains around her neck, handcuffs bounding her arms and legs, they dragged a kicking and screaming Tsena with them.

Where were they taking her?

What did they want?

What was going on?

Why her?

"If you're still able to cause such a riot," a familiar voice reached her ears, "then obviously Vendicare Prison hasn't diminished your spirit." At that, Tsena stopped shrugging. She stared at the elderly man with wide eyes.

"K-Kyuudaime…" She mumbled, her voice cracking. She couldn't even recognize it; she hadn't heard it in so long. The chains and cuffs disappeared and suddenly feeling weak, the girl fell to her knees. Where was she? What was going on? She kept asking herself over and over again, taking in her surroundings. She was in a neat, clean room, with two doors: one behind Kyuudaime and one her prisoners disappeared behind.

"You look horrible," Kyuudaime whispered, kneeling to caress her face, "I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner."

"Wh-What's going on…?" Tsena's voice was small, her throat seeming to ache. Now that she thought about it when was the last time she ate? Drank?

"You've been freed." Those words, they made Tsena's heart clench joyously. She looked up at him, her eyes wide.

"That's… wonderful…" Suddenly, her body felt too weak. She let herself slip into the dark, falling to the ground… or rather, into soft arms.

_Even if I have no place to go as darkness closes in on me_

Tsena spent the next few days in Italy with Kyuudaime. Despite how desperately she wanted to go back to Japan, the old man told her she needed to regain her strength and recuperate from being in Vendicare for so long.

"How did you even know I was in Vendicare?" Tsena, freshly bathed and presentable, asked from her bed, eating her dinner.

"I told him." Tsena nearly spat her soup out, staring at the white-haired demon. Azuki entered the room, walking to Tsena's bed side.

"You…!" She tried to attack her but Azuki easily held her at bay with a hand to her head. "What are you doing here? How do you two know each other?" Tsena demanded, glaring wickedly at Azuki.

"She and I are old friend," Kyuudaime explained, trying to calm the fuming girl.

"The faster you eat and get better, the faster you can see him." Tsena froze. "He's been driving himself crazy, you know," Azuki chuckled, "He thinks of you often, if not all the time. Slowly, though, he's forgetting how to smile, to laugh, how to be happy again." Tsena settled in bed, staring at her lap. "Well, I suppose that's how it is when you lose the joy of your life."

Tsena was sure how to reply. She couldn't help but to smile though. Yamamoto still cared…

_Now you're at my side, so I won't hesitate to step forward  
><em>_The tears I've cried will surely become shining crystals_

"What the – Tsena! For the love of – calm down!" Azuki sighed, frustrated, as she ran a hand through her hair. They had just touched down in Japan and Tsena couldn't be more impatient! "Honestly, what are you even going to say to him when you see him?"

That made Tsena stop in her tracks. What _was_ she going to say? Tsena frowned, her excitement turning to anticipation. Would he be mad? Would he hate her? Yell at her? How would he react?

Azuki shook her head, resting a hand on Tsena's shoulder and leading the way to Take-Sushi. As they walked, Tsena felt scared. What was she supposed to do? What would happen? Judging by the sky's colors, it was a little before evening, so school should be out. Yamamoto should be at home, or would be soon. Could she face him?

"Why not start with 'Hey?" Azuki offered, walking into the sushi restaurant slash home.

"Welcome to Take- Tsena?" Tsuyoshi was shocked. He stared at the girl, speechless. Tsena inwardly flinched, expecting the worse. Would he be the first to explode and yell at her? Imagine going home to Nana and Tsuna. Would they be mad, too? It was Tsena's turn to be shocked as Tsuyoshi hugged her tightly, nearly crushing her to him. "Where have you been? Gosh, we've all missed you!"

_We've all missed you…_

Tsena smiled, feeling tears at the corner of her eyes. She was missed…

_I'll gently hold you,  
><em>_I'll be with you.  
><em>_I'll be with you._

Tsena paced the restaurant, restless. It was getting late and Yamamoto still wasn't home? Where was he?

"He's pro'ly practicing for tomorrow's game," Tsuyoshi reasoned, watching the girl with amusement. "Relax, he'll be home soon."

"I can't relaaax~" Tsena whined, pulling at her hair, "I want so badly to see him…"

"What was that?" He smirked, cupping his ear, "Did you say something?" Tsena realized what she said and gasped, hiding her face and trying to control her blush.

"I-It was nothing! I'm going to Yama-kun's room!" She ran off, Tsuyoshi chuckling as he watched. Young love was cute.

"Maa, Azuki-san, was it?" He turned back to the lady in his kitchen. She was well aware of the suspicious gleam behind his happy-go-lucky gaze, "What can I do ya for?"

And by that, he meant what were her real intentions.

"You could teach me how to make sushi." Sushi reminded her of a certain someone from her past and how he loved sushi.

"Is that all?"

"Absolutely."

It wasn't like she was going to tell him she wanted to keep a keen eye on Tsena, for reasons he most likely wouldn't understand.

_You taught me to be myself  
><em>_So at anytime, I believe as I move forward_

Tsena's heart was pounding when she first saw him. He looked appalled, like a deer caught in the headlights.

"H-Hey, Yama-kun…" Her voice cracked. She sounded like a dork, a loser. No wonder he could only stare at her, unmoved and numb. He didn't miss her, it was all lies.

"Ts-Tsena!" Tsena waited for him to yell, awed when he tightly squeezed her. She ravished in his attention, holding him just as tight.

Even when he recited that stupid poem she made, how he laughed at her red, embarrassed face, she didn't mind. She felt something she hadn't felt in forever: she felt like she was home.

_Life goes on._

"Go, Takeshi!"

"Great job, Yamamoto!"

"You're amazing, Yamamoto-kun!"

"Totally! An extra-large gorgeous home-run!"

"Gyahahaha! It's all thanks to Lambo-san!"

Tsena, along with Futa, Gokudera, Haru, I-Pin, Kyoko, Lambo, Reborn, Ryohei and Tsuna, cheered for Yamamoto. After many smothering of hugs and questions (and a suspicious, uneasy look from a certain bomber), it was like Tsena never left.

Nothing seemed to change.

Nothing but how Tsena felt.

She's never felt closer to her friends, her family and Yamamoto especially. Tsena thought back of how Yamamoto refused to let her go home, how he literally forced her to stay with him the night, where he held, kissed, and overwhelmed her with love and sweet promises. She wasn't complaining, though. Tsena only felt guilty about doubting him, but as soon as she was back to his side, all those uncertainties disappeared.

"_I love you and only you."_

Those words melted her heart so. She only wished she could do more for him.

_I'm trying to figure out what's there that I can do for you  
><em>_It looks like there are plenty of things I'm bad at_

"Geez, what's the other team doing against someone like Yamamoto?" Gokudera grumbled.

"Huh?" Tsena and Tsuna looked at the gray-head, watching as he stood up.

"If you guys don't get your crap together, I'm going to start something over here!" He yelled, looking serious as he pulled out handfuls of dynamites.

"O-Oi, Gokudera, calm down!" Tsena stared at the boy, her eyes wide and one twitching.

"Gokudera-kun, what are you here for?" It was obvious he wasn't here to support the baseball freak.

"Hey, man, calm down," Ryohei said smoothly. This caused Tsena to give him a look. He was up to something, she was sure of it, "There are better things to do when you watch sports." Ryohei sounded as if he were gently scolding a little kid.

"Is that right, Senpai?" Tsena dared to ask.

Ryohei stood up and cupped his mouth, "Stop playing baseball and box instead!"

"That's wrong, too!" The two Sawadas shouted, Tsena sterner then Tsuna, who was wary.

"Geez, Onii-chan."

"He's always so dangerous." Tsena laughed quietly as Haru and Kyoko gave Ryohei a look.

"Oh no, watch out, Tsuna-nii!" Futa warned, the sound of a bat hitting a ball in the background.

"Hit the deck!" Tsena shouted over-dramatically, causing Tsuna to screech and duck, acting as if it were a grenade instead of a baseball. Bianchi managed to catch the ball calmly, unfazed by anything.

"Bianchi."

"Aneki…"

"I brought lunch." In her other hand was a bento. Gokudera's stomach grumbled in the familiar way it always did whenever he saw his sister, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Gokudera-kun!"

"Man down, man down!"

"Bianchi-san, what do we have today?" Haru bravely asked, seeming to be the only one ignoring the fainted bomber. Tsena had to wonder why the brunette was asking.

"Special food basted with love."

'Love that kills, she means…'

"I made something too!" Ah, so that's why she asked. "It's full of love for Tsuna!" Tsena laughed at that, smiling as Haru reached for her homemade bento for Tsuna.

'I wish I could cook…' Tsena grimaced whenever she remembered the times she attempted to 'cook'. Honestly, she was horrible at it. She knew this, Tsuna knew this, Nana knew this – hell probably everyone knew this. Yet Yamamoto didn't seem to mind.

"_As long as you made it, it's delicious!"_

Tsena shook her head. Yamamoto was cheesy like that, she supposed.

_I am to be with you.  
><em>_I suddenly remember your words and nod my head_

"Lambo-san's taking that!" The kid hitman grabbed the bento, jumping onto Tsuna's head to make his getaway.

"Not for you! Will punish!" I-Pin followed after Lambo, taking the same route. Tsena smiled, watching the two.

"Play nice, you two~"

"Hey, stop it, you two!" Tsuna wasn't as kind with his words as Tsena. He huffed after them, annoyed, before sighing tiredly, "Why does it always turn out like this?"

"Let them go, they're having fun." Tsena grinned at Tsuna, who gave her a disbelieving look. Futa chuckled, catching the two's attentions.

"Futa, what's wrong?" Tsuna asked.

The boy stopped and turned to the two, shaking his head, "Nothing, I'm just happy to be with everyone like this." Futa smiled warmly, his eyes big and giving him a long lost puppy look. A puppy that finally found its home. Tsena smiled.

"It's a nice feeling, isn't it…" She whispered in a voice so unlike her own, it made Tsuna stop and stare at her. He contemplated what the two said, visualizing it from their point of view. Both Futa and Tsena were taken away from him and the rest of his friends, leaving them worried and cold, as if something were missing in his life. Now that they were back, it finally felt like he was whole. He smiled at the thought.

"It is, isn't it."

_On a night when the stars are close enough to grab, we'll pledge eternal love  
><em>_The tears I've cried will surely become shining crystals_

Lambo's crying ruined their moment. They turned to see that he had fallen, dropping the bento on Gokudera's face.

"Lambo, what are you doing?" Tsuna asked as Tsena picked the boy up, calming him, "You ruined our lunch."

"There, there, Lambo." Tsena rocked the boy gently, easing Lambo until he stopped crying.

"Tsuna… Tsuna's mad at… at Lambo-san…" Lambo sniffed, before starting another crying fess. Tsena smiled daintily, passing Lamb to Tsuna.

"O-Oi, what?" The brunet stared at the turquoise-head, who only kneeled down to dust the food off of Gokudera. He sighed, trying to hold the fussing Lambo still, "Lambo, calm down, I'm not mad."

Gokudera gave Tsena a look close to a glare, but still pretty calm compared to other ones she's seen. It discouraged the girl; she'd have to regain his trust somehow.

_With a trembling heart,  
><em>_You're by my side.  
><em>_You're by my side._

Tsena sat at the bleachers, staring at the sky. She didn't know why she was there or even what she was doing. The game was over; Yamamoto had won and was dragged away by his teammates. She gave her friends the slip and returned to the bleachers.

It was odd. She was isolated for nearly a month; why would she want to be alone ever again? Still, some times it can't be helped. She didn't expect anyone to appear and was surprised when someone slid into place beside her, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder.

Tsena turned her head, blinking her eyes when lips met hers. Her eyes widened before calming when she saw who it was. Yamamoto lifted a hand to her neck, tilting her head. Tsena wrapped her arms around his neck, returning the sweet kiss.

"Hey," the baseball nut whispered against her lips after he pulled away. Tsena smiled, fingers playing with his hair.

"Hey yourself, Takeshi," she mumbled, their faces still close so her lips would brush against his. He shivered, gently pushing her over the bleachers so he hovered over her. "Take-?" Yamamoto covered her lips again, more forceful and demanding. It blew her away and Tsena tried to keep up. Her heart was pounding, ringing in her ears, as her head started to spin.

Yamamoto pulled away, barely giving Tsena the chance to breath, before kissing her again. He nibbled at her bottom lip, pushing his tongue between her lips and letting it curl around hers. Tsena moaned softly, clawing at his back as she pressed herself closer to him.

"Takeshi," Tsena panted as the boy trailed kisses down her neck, nipping at it and forcing her to gasp, "C-Calm down, Takeshi…" She whispered, lacing her fingers through his hair and tugging it gently. The boy stopped, moving his head to his eyes to meet hers. They told her everything, all the questions she had were answered. She smiled and pecked his lips.

Yamamoto reached for her hand, lacing it with his and holding it tightly.

_Even if my voice won't reach you and I feel like giving up  
><em>_I'll never let go of your hand as I move forward  
><em>_Life goes on._

"Oi! You yakyu-baka!"

"Maa, maa, Gokudera!"

"C-Calm down, Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna held Gokudera back as Yamamoto laughed clueless, 'hiding' behind Tsena.

"You replaced my dynamites with fireworks, didn't you?" Gokudera accused, growling as he reached to claw Yamamoto's eyes out.

"I didn't, I swear~"

"Liar!" Tsena was covering her mouth, trying not to laugh out loud. Can you imagine the look on Gokudera's face? It was like he died a little on the inside. When was he violated, he had to be wondering. When did 'Yamamoto' switch his weapons for fakes? Where _was_ he when all this was going on? _How_ did he manage to pull it off?

"You probably helped him!" Gokudera snapped at Tsena. She couldn't help it, she fell against Yamamoto laughing. His face! Gokudera's face was just so priceless! He looked crossed yet embarrassed at the same time! His eyes were narrowed in anger and he was scowling, but there was a faint blush on his cheeks.

"It's like someone raped you, I swear!"

"W-_What_?"

"It's not rape if you yell "Surprise!" first." Gokudera paused momentarily to gap at the girl.

"Najika, you too?" Wasn't anyone on his side?

"It's true," Najika smiled innocently, "Then it becomes surprise butt sex."

"…" Gokudera could not believe that just came from her mouth. Tsena collapsed to the ground, holding her sides as she rolled with laughter.

"N-Neko – pfft hahahaha!" The girl tried to say something but couldn't even form a decent line. Najika continued to smile innocently as Gokudera assumed the fetal position.

"She's corrupted you…" Gokudera's life was a sad life indeed.

_The wind never stops and pushes us forward  
><em>_Even as time cruelly flows, you're my sweetheart  
><em>_You're my sweetheart._

"Having fun?" Yamamoto chuckled, crouched beside Tsena. She was finally calming down from her laughing fit, little snorts and giggles still slipping through.

"Yup~" She pushed herself up, stretching her arms and enjoying the late breeze. "Speaking of fireworks, they start soon, don't they?" She leaned against Yamamoto's chest, the boy setting himself to pull her to him.

"Mm." Tsuna nodded his head, also taking a seat.

"That's why we're here," Gokudera scoffed.

"I hope the others make it in time…" Najika mumbled, looking worried.

"Guys!" As if on cue, everyone else appeared: Bianchi, Futa, Haru, I-Pin, Kyoko, Lambo, Reborn, Ryohei, even Dino and Hana were present.

"Sorry we took so long!" Kyoko apologized, smiling bashfully.

"We had to make sure we made a lot of food for everyone!"

"C'mon, let's hurry and set up!" Everyone pitched in to help, laying out the three large blankets and setting up the buffet big enough to feed everyone's empty stomachs.

"Looks good, looks goods!"

"Lambo-san helped!"

"I-Pin too!"

"We all did!"

"Then why are we waiting? Let's dig in!"

"Thanks for the food!" Tsena watched as everyone dug in, smiling as her friends cheered and laughed, enjoying one another's company. Bianchi was feeding Reborn while Kyoko offered Tsuna some of her homemade origiri, though Haru interrupted by trying to make him have some of hers. I-Pin chased Lambo after he stole her dumpling, running around the area, Dino trying to calm the two kids down. Futa listened clueless as Ryohei tried to explain boxing to him, Hana chatting with Haru, Kyoko, and Najika. Gokudera was arguing with Yamamoto, the raven-head just laughing.

'Why can't it always be like this?' Tsena leaned back and stared at the starry sky. She knew it wasn't always going to be so crazy and wild, so full of fun and cheerfulness. Once they grew up, things would change. Friends would part ways, striving to reach their goals, to broaden their horizon and expand their knowledge. She could only hope they would keep in contact, to remember that they always had a place to return to.

_Across the twinkling stars, we'll make the future we dreamed of  
><em>_So we'll be together when the time comes._

Yamamoto rested his head on Tsena's shoulder, distracting her and bringing her from her daydream.

"Takeshi?" She turned to him.

"You eased into using my first name nicely," he mumbled, looking up at her. Tsena blushed lightly, adverting her eyes.

"… I love you, Takeshi." Did she ever say that before?

"Huh?" The boy looked surprised. He lifted his head, eyes somewhat wide. Tsena shyly met his eyes.

"I love you." Yamamoto blinked at her once, twice, three times. He seemed to be having a hard time processing this. Tsena looked away, feeling shy and self-conscious. She missed the large grin that spread across her best friend's face. Yamamoto wound Tsena in his arms, pulling her to him and holding her tightly. He buried his head in her neck, kissing it.

"Say it again?" He asked softly. Tsena smiled, kissing his cheek.

"I love you, Takeshi." She felt Yamamoto's grin on her neck.

"I love you too, Tsena~"

"Hey, look! The fireworks are starting!" Tsena looked up, feeling Yamamoto rest his head on top of hers as the two watched.

'Even if it can't always be like this, where we can all gather together, as long as we have memories to reflect on, it means we had something worth remembering.'

_Life goes on._

* * *

><p>Hey look, Echo Again is done |D Oh btw I dont own Najika - she belongs to Aki-chan, who disappeared for a bagillion years and came back with pro arse writing QQ jealous My life, man, my life. If you were wondering, Najika transferred from Kokuyo |D lol though, you could proly jus go read **Rainbow Shooter** by **Akira the Wolf Girl** yourself and see how fkin amazing it is QQ I want your writing skills, Aki-chan, gimme QQ

Speaking of writing skills, this sucked T: I wasnt feeling it QQ I... rlly just wanted fluff LOL orz |D... Someone should send me a request so I can smother characters with fluff - I mean get extra practice in asifihavethetimeqq my life, man, my liiiife~ It wounds me QQ...

**BUT ITS WINTER BREAK, DUDES AND DUDETTES 8DD I AM HOPING TO BE ABLE TO WORK MY ARSE OFF THESE TWO WEEKS QQ** Which... I proly wont since I am walking failness orz

But yeah |D Enjoy crappy ending to crappy story, I'm gonna go die now owo


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